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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: stem · lie · object · kid · bore · wind · degree · spell

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. object — an aim
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. degree — an amount
  6. object — a thing
  7. kid — to tease
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bore — to drill
  10. wind — moving air
  11. spell — letters
  12. bore — to tire
  13. degree — temperature
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — magic
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. object — to protest
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. degree — from a university
  24. lie — to recline

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