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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: jam · lie · leaves · wake · object · spring · clip · degree

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — a thing
  3. degree — from a university
  4. spring — of water
  5. lie — to recline
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — a trail
  9. spring — a coil
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. spring — the season
  16. degree — temperature
  17. object — to protest
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. degree — an amount
  24. jam — a tight spot

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