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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.

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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: bore · degree · net · board · last · lean · plane · club

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. club — for golf
  4. degree — temperature
  5. lean — to bend
  6. net — after costs
  7. bore — to tire
  8. net — in sport
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bore — to drill
  12. plane — a tool
  13. board — to get on
  14. last — finally
  15. lean — thin
  16. last — to go on
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. club — a group
  19. last — final
  20. degree — from a university
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. net — for catching
  23. club — for dancing
  24. board — a committee

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