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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: degree · wake · staff · date · shower · board · firm · coach

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. degree — an amount
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. firm — a company
  7. shower — to wash
  8. firm — steady
  9. firm — decided
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. board — a committee
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. staff — employees
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. date — the fruit
  17. staff — employees
  18. board — to get on
  19. wake — a trail
  20. staff — a stick
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. degree — from a university
  23. shower — rain
  24. wake — before a funeral

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