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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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468
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: pit · degree · board · lean · pop · racket · mine · wave

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. pop — soda
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. board — a committee
  7. pop — music
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pop — to visit
  10. degree — temperature
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — thin
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. degree — from a university
  16. mine — for digging
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pit — in a race
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. pit — a hole
  23. degree — an amount
  24. wave — with your hand

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