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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. degree — temperature
  3. shower — rain
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. shower — to wash
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — the tool
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wax — to grow
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bass — the fish
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bass — low music
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — from a university
  24. tear — from crying

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