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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: board · row · stem · clip · present · pit · ball · rash

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. clip — for paper
  3. present — there
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. present — a gift
  8. row — to paddle
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. present — the time now
  11. stem — to come from
  12. clip — to cut
  13. board — a committee
  14. ball — a great time
  15. row — a line
  16. pit — a hole
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. rash — a series
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. clip — a video
  23. board — to get on
  24. pit — in a race

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