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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. band — a ring
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. stem — to come from
  10. band — a music group
  11. mine — for digging
  12. current — of water
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — temperature
  17. current — electric
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. board — to get on
  21. current — happening now
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. board — a committee

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