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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: bank · board · kick · squash · cell · wave · degree · mine

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bank — for money
  5. degree — temperature
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. squash — the sport
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. degree — from a university
  10. board — to get on
  11. kick — in football
  12. degree — an amount
  13. board — a committee
  14. bank — for money
  15. mine — for digging
  16. cell — a phone
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bank — of a river
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. cell — in biology
  24. squash — to crush

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