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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: game · nail · stem · content · board · stock · mate · coach

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. mate — a partner
  4. board — a committee
  5. mate — to breed
  6. stock — shares
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. board — to get on
  9. mate — a friend
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. game — a match
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. content — the amount
  16. game — wild animals
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. content — happy
  19. stem — to come from
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. stock — goods

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