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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. board — a committee
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. degree — an amount
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wax — to grow
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fine — all right
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — to drill
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. board — to get on
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. degree — temperature
  24. fan — to cool the air

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