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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: degree · fall · mouse · date · bowl · wake · bore · wind

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. fall — the season
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wake — a trail
  11. degree — an amount
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bore — to tire
  17. degree — temperature
  18. wind — moving air
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bore — to drill
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. wind — moving air

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