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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: degree · wound · wind · coach · bound · board · plane · snap

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — obliged
  4. degree — from a university
  5. plane — a tool
  6. snap — to click
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — an amount
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bound — tied together
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. board — to get on
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. wound — an injury
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. wind — moving air
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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