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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: foot · wind · bass · degree · wave · present · fine · ground

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. wind — moving air
  3. present — the time now
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. present — a gift
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. fine — high quality
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. ground — crushed
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ground — a position
  14. present — there
  15. bass — low music
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. ground — the earth
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. degree — from a university
  22. foot — a measure
  23. fine — all right
  24. bass — the fish

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