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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 · bound · tube · ruler · season · field · root

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. degree — temperature
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. bound — tied together
  6. season — of the year
  7. tube — a container
  8. field — a subject
  9. root — of a word
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — to get on
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. tube — the underground
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bound — obliged
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. root — of a plant
  20. bound — certain
  21. season — in sport
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. root — the cause
  24. degree — an amount

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