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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: degree · lean · kid · rock · rash · drill · present · date

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. lean — to bend
  3. rash — a series
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. present — a gift
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. degree — an amount
  9. present — there
  10. rock — a stone
  11. drill — the tool
  12. kid — to tease
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. drill — army training
  15. present — the time now
  16. date — the fruit
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. degree — temperature
  20. kid — child
  21. rock — music
  22. drill — a practice
  23. rash — hasty
  24. lean — thin

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