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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: degree · scale · lean · tear · safe · saw · chest · wave

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lean — to bend
  4. scale — size or range
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. scale — in music
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. lean — thin
  10. degree — temperature
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. chest — of your body
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. chest — a box
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. chest — of your body
  22. degree — an amount
  23. tear — to rip
  24. degree — from a university

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