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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 116 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 · safe · bulb · coach · leaves · degree · cell · lie

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. kid — child
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. degree — from a university
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. cell — a phone
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bulb — for light
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. kid — to tease
  24. leaves — lets stay

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