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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bore · toast · wake · leaves · clip · hand · degree · stick

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  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. hand — in cards
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. hand — help
  6. clip — a video
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. bore — to drill
  10. toast — bread
  11. degree — temperature
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wake — a trail
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. degree — an amount
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bore — to tire
  21. clip — to cut
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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