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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: shower · chair · file · board · land · cue · stem · sharp

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. cue — for pool
  4. sharp — clever
  5. shower — rain
  6. file — a document
  7. board — to get on
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. file — a tool
  10. shower — to wash
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. file — a line of people
  14. land — ground
  15. cue — a hint
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — a country
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. stem — to come from
  24. cue — a signal

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