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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. last — finally
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. degree — from a university
  7. perch — the fish
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. degree — temperature
  12. mine — for digging
  13. tube — a container
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. field — farmland
  18. last — to go on
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. last — final
  21. board — to get on
  22. board — a committee
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. tube — the underground

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