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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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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: arm · wake · bore · degree · scale · mine · lean · charge

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bore — to drill
  3. degree — from a university
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. scale — in music
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wake — a trail
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. scale — size or range
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. lean — to bend
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. lean — thin
  18. charge — in control
  19. charge — electricity
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bore — to tire
  24. charge — a price

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