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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 120 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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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: wound · safe · degree · stand · shower · bear · foot · wake

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. shower — to wash
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — a measure
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. shower — rain
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. wake — a trail
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. degree — temperature
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stand — to bear
  23. wound — an injury
  24. safe — a strongbox

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