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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 120 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 · clip · ball · can · rule · craft · mine · stem

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. can — to be able to
  3. rule — a law
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. ball — a dance
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. stem — to come from
  9. clip — to cut
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. craft — boats
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. board — a committee
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rule — government
  18. craft — a skill
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a round shape

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