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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: can · board · land · hand · rush · degree · stick · fork

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. degree — temperature
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. can — to be able to
  6. board — a committee
  7. can — a tin
  8. rush — hurry
  9. land — ground
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. land — a country
  13. board — to get on
  14. can — a tin
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. hand — help
  17. land — to come down
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. degree — from a university
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fork — in a road
  22. degree — an amount
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. hand — in cards

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