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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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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. degree — an amount
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bank — for money
  7. scale — in music
  8. lean — to bend
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bank — of a river
  11. degree — temperature
  12. mug — a face
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bank — for money
  15. mug — to rob
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mug — a cup
  19. wind — moving air
  20. degree — from a university
  21. craft — a skill
  22. craft — boats
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. wind — moving air

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