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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. stock — shares
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. board — a committee
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. rush — hurry
  12. degree — from a university
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. degree — an amount
  16. band — a ring
  17. stock — goods
  18. board — to get on
  19. band — a music group
  20. ground — the earth
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  24. degree — temperature

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