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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: suit · present · degree · cell · tear · wake

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. cell — a phone
  3. present — the time now
  4. wake — a trail
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. suit — clothes
  9. suit — to fit
  10. degree — an amount
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. present — there
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — temperature
  16. present — a gift
  17. cell — in biology
  18. tear — from crying

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