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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: chest · mouse · degree · wake · bay · nail · scale · mate

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. chest — of your body
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. chest — a box
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. scale — size or range
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mate — a partner
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. scale — in music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — to breed
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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