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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: kid · hide · wave · plane · degree · rest · roll · rash

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. degree — temperature
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. rash — a series
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. rash — hasty
  7. degree — from a university
  8. kid — to tease
  9. rest — a break
  10. degree — an amount
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — a list
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. rest — what's left
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. plane — a tool
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wave — of the sea

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