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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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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 · lean · hand · sharp · drill · prune · mate

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. hand — help
  5. drill — the tool
  6. sharp — clever
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. mate — a partner
  9. drill — army training
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a friend
  12. hand — in cards
  13. drill — a practice
  14. lean — to bend
  15. prune — to trim
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — an amount
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a committee
  20. degree — from a university
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. lean — thin
  24. board — a flat piece

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