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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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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: cell · leaves · pound · clip · stick · shower · temple · degree

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pound — a weight
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. shower — rain
  6. clip — to cut
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. degree — an amount
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. clip — a video
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. clip — for paper
  16. cell — a phone
  17. degree — temperature
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. shower — to wash
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. degree — from a university
  24. cell — in biology

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