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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 · lean · bass · spring · board · present · stand · bat

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bat — the animal
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. spring — of water
  6. degree — temperature
  7. spring — the season
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. spring — a coil
  10. lean — thin
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. present — there
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. present — the time now
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. board — to get on
  20. present — a gift
  21. lean — to bend
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. stand — to bear

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