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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 120 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 · degree · rest · current · can · bore · season · board

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bore — to tire
  4. degree — an amount
  5. current — of water
  6. rock — a stone
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. season — in sport
  10. current — electric
  11. degree — temperature
  12. board — a committee
  13. can — a tin
  14. rest — what's left
  15. board — to get on
  16. season — of the year
  17. can — a tin
  18. rest — a break
  19. bore — to drill
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rest — what's left
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. current — happening now
  24. rock — music

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