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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 · mate · cold · face · board · charge · ruler · stem

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. charge — a price
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. stem — to come from
  10. board — a committee
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. mate — to breed
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. board — to get on
  15. charge — in control
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to point toward
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — a friend
  21. face — to confront
  22. cold — not warm
  23. charge — electricity
  24. wake — a trail

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