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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: bore · leaves · degree · chair · tear · current · wind · staff

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wind — moving air
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bore — to drill
  8. staff — employees
  9. bore — to tire
  10. current — electric
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. tear — from crying
  13. current — happening now
  14. wind — moving air
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — an amount
  17. staff — employees
  18. tear — to rip
  19. degree — from a university
  20. staff — a stick
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. current — of water
  24. leaves — to go away

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