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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 124 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: board · object · face · fan · degree · roll · drill · bear

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. board — to get on
  4. object — an aim
  5. bear — the animal
  6. degree — an amount
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. degree — temperature
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. board — a committee
  12. drill — a practice
  13. face — to point toward
  14. roll — a list
  15. face — to confront
  16. roll — a cake
  17. degree — from a university
  18. drill — army training
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. drill — the tool
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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