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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 · degree · rest · stand · bat · pitcher · wave · shower

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. degree — an amount
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. shower — to wash
  9. board — to get on
  10. shower — rain
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. degree — temperature
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. board — a committee
  19. rest — what's left
  20. degree — from a university
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bat — the animal
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pitcher — a jug

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