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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: rush · staff · tube · deal · degree · mine · arm · cabinet

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — an amount
  6. tube — the underground
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. tube — a container
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. deal — to handle
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. staff — employees
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. cabinet — ministers

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