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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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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 · drill · wave · pass · degree · perch · lean · tear

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — temperature
  5. drill — army training
  6. degree — an amount
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. board — to get on
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. tear — from crying
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pass — a permit
  18. lean — to bend
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. lean — thin

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