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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: hide · stem · bore · land · board · toast · mine · mug

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bore — to tire
  4. mug — a face
  5. toast — bread
  6. land — a country
  7. land — to come down
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bore — to drill
  11. board — to get on
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mine — for digging
  15. land — ground
  16. board — a committee
  17. mug — to rob
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mug — a cup
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bore — gave birth

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