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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: wind · chip · club · degree · lean · rash · hide · date

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. chip — to eat
  6. lean — to bend
  7. club — a group
  8. lean — thin
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. date — the fruit
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. degree — from a university
  14. club — for dancing
  15. chip — for betting
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. wind — moving air
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rash — a series
  22. wind — moving air
  23. degree — an amount
  24. club — for golf

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