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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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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: racket · leaves · wind · hide · chest · degree

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. degree — an amount
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wind — moving air
  8. chest — of your body
  9. degree — temperature
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wind — moving air
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. degree — from a university
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. racket — for tennis

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