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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: scale · stem · wound · cold · mate · chair · prune · board

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. board — to get on
  4. scale — in music
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wound — an injury
  7. board — a committee
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. cold — not warm
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. mate — a partner
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. mate — to breed
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. prune — to trim
  19. chair — a leader
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. scale — size or range
  24. mate — a friend

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