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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: sharp · leaves · content · degree · staff · board · track · stem

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. board — to get on
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. staff — employees
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. staff — a stick
  7. degree — from a university
  8. content — the amount
  9. stem — to come from
  10. track — a song
  11. degree — temperature
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. content — happy
  15. sharp — clever
  16. staff — employees
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. track — a path
  19. track — to keep track
  20. board — a committee
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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