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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: tear · chip · cell · leaves · bowl · degree · lie · wax

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. chip — to eat
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. chip — for betting
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wax — to grow
  14. degree — an amount
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. degree — from a university
  19. cell — in biology
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. cell — a phone
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. lie — an untruth

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