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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: board · degree · leaves · wave · swing · rock · deal · land

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. land — ground
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. deal — to handle
  5. board — a committee
  6. degree — temperature
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. swing — to play on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. land — to come down
  16. swing — music
  17. land — a country
  18. degree — an amount
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. degree — from a university
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. rock — a stone
  23. board — to get on
  24. swing — in golf

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