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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. staff — a stick
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. tube — a container
  9. staff — employees
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. degree — from a university
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. staff — employees
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. tube — the underground
  18. hide — animal skin

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