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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 116 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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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: shower · racket · board · present · wave · stem · fork · club

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. fork — in a road
  3. board — a committee
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — for golf
  6. present — the time now
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. shower — rain
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. present — there
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. board — to get on
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. club — a group
  19. stem — to come from
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. present — a gift
  24. stem — a stem cell

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