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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. board — to get on
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. object — to protest
  6. board — a committee
  7. object — a thing
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wake — a trail
  10. object — an aim
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. degree — an amount
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bulb — for light
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fork — in a road
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mine — for digging
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. degree — from a university
  24. fork — to eat with

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