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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: bore · kick · lie · racket · degree · root · wake · rush

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  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. bore — to tire
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. degree — an amount
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. root — of a plant
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. wake — a trail
  12. root — of a word
  13. kick — in football
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bore — to drill
  17. root — the cause
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. degree — temperature
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. lie — an untruth
  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