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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: rule · chest · leaves · board · face · club · stem · land

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a committee
  4. stem — to come from
  5. land — ground
  6. rule — a law
  7. land — to come down
  8. club — for golf
  9. chest — a box
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to confront
  17. chest — of your body
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. club — for dancing
  20. chest — of your body
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. rule — government
  23. land — a country
  24. club — a group

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