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

Word bank: last · degree · bowl · kid · wave · stand

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. stand — to bear
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. last — finally
  5. degree — an amount
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. last — to go on
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. degree — from a university
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. last — final
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. kid — child
  18. degree — temperature

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