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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
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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: hide · bass · degree · toast · file · suit · lean · wind

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. bass — the fish
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. suit — clothes
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. file — a tool
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. degree — an amount
  9. lean — to bend
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bass — low music
  12. file — a document
  13. degree — temperature
  14. suit — to fit
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. suit — in cards
  19. file — a line of people
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. degree — from a university
  23. toast — bread
  24. toast — the most admired

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