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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: present · club · board · stand · cold · ball · current · stem

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. cold — an illness
  3. board — a committee
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. current — electric
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. current — of water
  9. ball — a great time
  10. present — there
  11. club — for dancing
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. present — a gift
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — a group
  17. current — happening now
  18. cold — not warm
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — to get on
  21. ball — a dance
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. present — the time now

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