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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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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — hurry
  10. lean — to bend
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. lean — thin
  16. band — a music group
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. date — the fruit
  19. degree — temperature
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. degree — from a university
  23. tube — a container
  24. band — a ring

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