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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bank — for money
  3. scale — size or range
  4. wake — a trail
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. squash — to crush
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. squash — the sport
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. saw — the tool
  13. scale — in music
  14. bank — for money
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — a committee
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. wound — an injury
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bank — of a river
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wound — an injury

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