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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pit — in a race
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. tear — to rip
  6. degree — from a university
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bore — to tire
  12. hand — help
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bore — to drill
  17. spring — the season
  18. tear — from crying
  19. spring — of water
  20. pit — a hole
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. degree — an amount
  23. hand — in cards
  24. spring — a coil

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