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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: drill · can · club · board · stem · stock · spring · face

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. face — to confront
  3. stem — to come from
  4. club — for dancing
  5. spring — of water
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. club — a group
  10. drill — army training
  11. face — to point toward
  12. can — to be able to
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. spring — a coil
  17. club — for golf
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. face — part of the head
  21. stock — shares
  22. board — to get on
  23. spring — the season
  24. stock — goods

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