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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: lean · cue · bear · deal · degree · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bear — the animal
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — temperature
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a hint
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cue — a signal
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. lean — thin
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. deal — to handle

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