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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. tear — from crying
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. degree — temperature
  6. hand — help
  7. roll — a cake
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — to drill
  13. degree — an amount
  14. roll — a list
  15. tear — to rip
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fine — all right
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. leaves — lets stay

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