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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: cell · track · pass · stem · wind · board · prune · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. pass — a permit
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. cell — in biology
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. board — to get on
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. wind — moving air
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. prune — to trim
  17. track — a song
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cell — a phone
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stem — to come from
  22. board — a committee
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. mine — an explosive

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