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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: row · saw · bark · board · ball · mine · degree · suit

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. row — to paddle
  4. degree — temperature
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. suit — in cards
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. board — to get on
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. mine — for digging
  13. suit — clothes
  14. degree — an amount
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. row — a line
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bark — to shout
  21. board — a committee
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. suit — to fit
  24. board — a flat piece

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