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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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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: spring · racket · wind · degree · stand · wave · bank · lean

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  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. degree — from a university
  2. wind — moving air
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. degree — an amount
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. spring — the season
  9. degree — temperature
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bank — for money
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bank — of a river
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — thin
  23. bank — for money
  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