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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: wake · wound · club · stem · board · land · chair · safe

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wake — a trail
  8. land — ground
  9. club — for golf
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. board — to get on
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. land — to come down
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. wound — an injury
  17. land — a country
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stem — to come from
  21. club — a group
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. club — for dancing
  24. board — a committee

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