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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: leaves · board · tube · vault · degree · tear · arm · field

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. tear — to rip
  3. field — a subject
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a committee
  6. field — for sport
  7. degree — temperature
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. vault — a safe
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. field — farmland
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tear — from crying
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. tear — from crying
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. tube — a container
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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