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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 · temple · mine · stem · band · court · stand · swing

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. board — a committee
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. court — of law
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. swing — to play on
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. court — for sport
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. band — a music group
  16. mine — for digging
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. court — of a king
  19. stand — to bear
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — music
  22. band — a ring
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. board — to get on

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