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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: hide · season · hand · cue · board · degree · bark · rash

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. season — of the year
  3. rash — hasty
  4. season — in sport
  5. rash — a series
  6. board — a committee
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. degree — from a university
  11. hand — help
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — a hint
  19. board — to get on
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. degree — temperature
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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