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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 116 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: rock · tube · spring · mate · board · stand · hide · degree

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. degree — temperature
  3. board — a committee
  4. spring — a coil
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. board — to get on
  8. stand — to bear
  9. mate — a friend
  10. rock — music
  11. mate — a partner
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. rock — a stone
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. spring — of water
  18. degree — from a university
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — the underground
  21. spring — the season
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. tube — in a tire

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