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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 116 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: mark · degree · rush · land · board · staff · wind · season

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. wind — moving air
  3. season — in sport
  4. mark — a grade
  5. board — to get on
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. degree — an amount
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. season — of the year
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. land — to come down
  15. degree — temperature
  16. staff — employees
  17. mark — a trace
  18. board — a committee
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rush — hurry
  21. land — a country
  22. land — ground
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. mark — to pay attention

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