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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bore · ball · bay · degree · board · net · stem · pound

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. board — a committee
  5. degree — temperature
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. net — in sport
  10. stem — to come from
  11. board — to get on
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bore — to drill
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — an amount
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. net — after costs
  22. ball — a great time
  23. net — for catching
  24. ball — a round shape

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