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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: stand · bat · bore · board · cap · spring · court · stem

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bore — to drill
  4. spring — the season
  5. cap — a hat
  6. spring — a coil
  7. cap — of ice
  8. board — a committee
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. court — of law
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. court — for sport
  13. cap — a lid
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bore — to tire
  16. board — to get on
  17. bat — the animal
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. spring — of water
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. court — of a king
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stand — on your feet

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