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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 124 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: mate · stem · fall · coach · object · root · degree · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — to get on
  3. mate — a partner
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. root — of a plant
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. mate — to breed
  9. object — a thing
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. object — to protest
  12. mate — a friend
  13. root — of a word
  14. degree — from a university
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. fall — to drop
  17. degree — an amount
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. object — an aim
  20. fall — the season
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. root — the cause
  23. fall — to drop
  24. degree — temperature

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