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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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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 · lie · wind · track · root · pound · board · fall

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. track — a path
  3. wind — moving air
  4. degree — temperature
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. root — of a plant
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wind — moving air
  13. root — of a word
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a committee
  16. degree — from a university
  17. track — to keep track
  18. root — the cause
  19. lie — to recline
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. track — a song
  23. fall — the season
  24. wind — to turn a key

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