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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: race · degree · fall · chest · dip · object · leaves · tube

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. degree — from a university
  3. chest — of your body
  4. object — a thing
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. object — to protest
  7. race — a contest
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — the underground
  10. fall — the season
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. degree — temperature
  14. race — the arms race
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. degree — an amount
  17. fall — to drop
  18. object — an aim
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. fall — to drop
  21. race — humankind
  22. chest — of your body
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. chest — a box

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