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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. ground — a position
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. ground — crushed
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. root — of a word
  11. tear — from crying
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bore — to tire
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bore — to drill
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. ground — the earth
  20. stand — to bear
  21. root — of a plant
  22. degree — an amount
  23. root — the cause
  24. degree — from a university

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