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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: degree · cue · wave · stem · season · saw · board · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. saw — the tool
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. game — wild animals
  6. degree — temperature
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. board — a committee
  9. degree — from a university
  10. cue — a signal
  11. board — to get on
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. season — in sport
  18. cue — a hint
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. game — a match
  21. cue — for pool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. degree — an amount

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