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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 120 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: tube · cabinet · leaves · court · wound · degree · key · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. degree — temperature
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. staff — employees
  11. tube — the underground
  12. wound — an injury
  13. staff — a stick
  14. court — of a king
  15. tube — a container
  16. key — the most important part
  17. degree — from a university
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. degree — an amount
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. leaves — to go away

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