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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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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: charge · land · stock · patient · stem · wake · bound · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. land — a country
  3. board — a committee
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. stock — goods
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bound — obliged
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. stock — shares
  10. bound — tied together
  11. charge — a price
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. charge — electricity
  18. bound — certain
  19. land — to come down
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. charge — in control
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. stem — to come from
  24. land — ground

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