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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: stem · board · spell · lean · wound · craft · club · land

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. board — a committee
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. spell — magic
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. club — a group
  7. craft — a skill
  8. club — for golf
  9. land — to come down
  10. lean — to bend
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. club — for dancing
  13. wound — an injury
  14. board — to get on
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. land — ground
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. land — a country
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. spell — a short time
  21. stem — to come from
  22. wound — an injury
  23. craft — boats
  24. spell — letters

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