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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stem · stock · board · race · bound · face · spell · kick

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. spell — magic
  4. race — humankind
  5. board — to get on
  6. stem — to come from
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. board — a committee
  9. race — the arms race
  10. stock — shares
  11. kick — in football
  12. bound — obliged
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. spell — letters
  16. stock — goods
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. bound — certain
  19. face — to confront
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bound — tied together
  22. face — to point toward
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. face — part of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com