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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: fall · bank · pit · tube · board · degree · drill · current

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. fall — the season
  4. degree — from a university
  5. drill — army training
  6. current — of water
  7. degree — an amount
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. current — electric
  12. board — to get on
  13. fall — to drop
  14. drill — the tool
  15. board — a committee
  16. degree — temperature
  17. current — happening now
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — for money
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bank — of a river
  24. tube — in a tire

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