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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 120 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. saw — the tool
  3. degree — from a university
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wake — a trail
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — temperature
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. rush — hurry
  21. board — a committee
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fan — a supporter

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