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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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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. spring — a coil
  4. last — final
  5. prune — to trim
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. can — a tin
  8. last — finally
  9. bound — certain
  10. can — to be able to
  11. roll — a list
  12. degree — an amount
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. board — to get on
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. spring — the season
  18. prune — to trim
  19. board — a committee
  20. degree — from a university
  21. last — to go on
  22. spring — of water
  23. degree — temperature
  24. roll — a cake

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