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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. land — to come down
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mate — a partner
  8. degree — from a university
  9. mate — to breed
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rock — music
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. land — ground
  16. rock — a stone
  17. mate — a friend
  18. land — a country
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. degree — an amount

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