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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. tear — from crying
  3. degree — temperature
  4. spell — a short time
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. spell — magic
  9. clip — to cut
  10. tear — from crying
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. clip — a video
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. foot — a measure
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. tear — to rip
  19. clip — for paper
  20. degree — from a university
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. mark — a trace
  23. degree — an amount
  24. spell — letters

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