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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 · land · present · fall · spell · leaves

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bound — tied together
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. spell — letters
  7. degree — an amount
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bound — obliged
  10. board — to get on
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. spell — a short time
  13. land — a country
  14. degree — temperature
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. bound — certain
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — the time now
  20. board — a committee
  21. fall — to drop
  22. spell — magic
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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