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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
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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: last · march · bore · wave · deal · hide · degree · land

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. land — ground
  7. degree — from a university
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. march — the month
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. march — music
  14. last — to go on
  15. degree — an amount
  16. land — a country
  17. last — final
  18. degree — temperature
  19. land — to come down
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. last — finally
  22. march — the month
  23. bore — to drill
  24. hide — animal skin

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