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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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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: lie · stick · wind · craft · degree · scale · stand · chair

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. chair — a leader
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. craft — boats
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. degree — an amount
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. stand — to bear
  14. scale — size or range
  15. lie — to recline
  16. degree — temperature
  17. scale — in music
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wind — moving air
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. degree — from a university
  23. craft — a skill
  24. lie — an untruth

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