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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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. prune — to trim
  4. board — to get on
  5. spring — a coil
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. spell — letters
  9. degree — an amount
  10. suit — clothes
  11. prune — to trim
  12. root — the cause
  13. rest — a break
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. spell — magic
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. spell — a short time
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. degree — temperature
  22. suit — in cards
  23. degree — from a university
  24. suit — to fit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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