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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: tear · board · degree · bound · tube · cue · pop · plane

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. pop — music
  3. tear — to rip
  4. cue — for pool
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pop — soda
  7. degree — from a university
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. cue — a hint
  10. tube — a container
  11. board — to get on
  12. plane — a tool
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bound — obliged
  15. pop — to visit
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. tear — from crying
  18. board — a committee
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cue — a signal
  21. bound — certain
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bound — tied together

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