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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. pop — to visit
  7. degree — from a university
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. tear — from crying
  10. degree — temperature
  11. lean — thin
  12. scale — size or range
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. degree — an amount
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. tear — to rip
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. pop — soda
  20. lean — to bend
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pop — music
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. scale — in music

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