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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · pass · leaves · swing · object · bore · degree · tube

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. swing — to play on
  3. object — an aim
  4. bore — to tire
  5. swing — music
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bore — to drill
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. object — to protest
  11. tube — a container
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. swing — in golf
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. degree — an amount
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. object — a thing
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. degree — from a university

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