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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — a committee
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wound — an injury
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. foot — a measure
  10. wound — an injury
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. degree — an amount
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. board — to get on
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. pass — a permit
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. prune — to trim
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. rock — a stone
  22. degree — from a university
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — music

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