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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: leaves · bore · lie · tube · staff · firm · degree · kid

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  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. firm — a company
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. firm — decided
  4. tube — the underground
  5. degree — from a university
  6. staff — employees
  7. kid — child
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. degree — temperature
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bore — to tire
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bore — to drill
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. staff — employees
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. tube — a container
  22. staff — a stick
  23. firm — steady
  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