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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · lean · degree · wind · object · shower · bay · pop

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. pop — soda
  3. degree — an amount
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. shower — rain
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pop — to visit
  9. shower — to wash
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bass — low music
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. degree — temperature
  15. pop — music
  16. object — an aim
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. object — to protest
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bay — a horse colour

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