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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. degree — from a university
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. face — part of the head
  6. tear — to rip
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. board — to get on
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wound — an injury
  11. board — a committee
  12. face — to point toward
  13. degree — an amount
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. degree — temperature
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. vault — a safe
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. face — to confront
  22. wound — an injury
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mouse — for a computer

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