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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 116 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: tear · chair · wind · hide · dip · degree · pitcher · mouse

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. chair — a leader
  6. tear — to rip
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wind — moving air
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wind — moving air
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — temperature
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. dip — to sink
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. tear — from crying
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pitcher — a jug

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