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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. face — part of the head
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. spring — a coil
  5. board — a committee
  6. spring — the season
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bore — to tire
  9. degree — an amount
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — from a university
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — to confront
  15. spring — of water
  16. board — to get on
  17. bore — to drill
  18. board — a flat piece

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