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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: bass · rash · suit · bear · degree · cell · chair · wake

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wake — a trail
  4. suit — in cards
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bass — the fish
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — temperature
  11. chair — a leader
  12. suit — clothes
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bass — low music
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. cell — in biology
  18. degree — an amount
  19. cell — a phone
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. cell — in a prison

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