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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 120 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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. foot — a measure
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. object — to protest
  7. degree — temperature
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. degree — an amount
  12. march — the month
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stand — to bear
  15. object — a thing
  16. wind — moving air
  17. tube — the underground
  18. object — an aim
  19. march — music
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. march — the month
  22. degree — from a university
  23. tube — a container
  24. stand — for spectators

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