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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.

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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: board · degree · bark · toast · wave · arm · face · dip

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. face — part of the head
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. board — a committee
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. dip — to sink
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bark — to shout
  10. board — to get on
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. face — to confront
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. toast — bread
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. degree — temperature
  22. face — to point toward
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. wave — with your hand

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