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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bank — for money
  4. field — for sport
  5. board — a committee
  6. degree — temperature
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. board — to get on
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. field — farmland
  11. fork — in a road
  12. cap — of ice
  13. field — a subject
  14. cap — a hat
  15. row — a line
  16. bank — for money
  17. row — to paddle
  18. stem — to come from
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. degree — an amount
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bank — of a river

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