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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: craft · content · fork · bowl · degree · prune · board · mouse

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. content — happy
  3. degree — temperature
  4. board — a committee
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. board — to get on
  9. degree — an amount
  10. content — the amount
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. fork — in a road
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. prune — to trim
  20. craft — a skill
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. content — videos and posts

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