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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: charge · drill · degree · tube · saw · arm · ground · board

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. ground — crushed
  3. board — to get on
  4. tube — a container
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — army training
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. charge — in control
  9. drill — the tool
  10. degree — temperature
  11. saw — the tool
  12. charge — a price
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. degree — an amount
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. charge — electricity
  20. degree — from a university
  21. saw — the tool
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. tube — the underground

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