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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — from a university
  3. spring — of water
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rush — hurry
  6. band — a music group
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. band — a ring
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. face — to point toward
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. spring — the season
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. wind — moving air
  20. degree — an amount
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. face — to confront

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