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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: board · mark · present · fine · spring · stem · date · game

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. present — there
  3. fine — all right
  4. board — a committee
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. mark — a grade
  9. spring — the season
  10. game — wild animals
  11. fine — high quality
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. spring — of water
  14. mark — a trace
  15. present — the time now
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. date — the fruit
  18. present — a gift
  19. stem — to come from
  20. spring — a coil
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. game — a match

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