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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: leaves · ruler · field · degree · capital · board · hide · wind

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  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. ruler — a monarch
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. capital — a city
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. field — for sport
  7. degree — from a university
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wind — moving air
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wind — moving air
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. degree — an amount
  15. board — a committee
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. field — a subject
  18. board — to get on
  19. degree — temperature
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. field — farmland
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. capital — money
  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