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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. spring — a coil
  3. tear — from crying
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. spring — of water
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bear — the animal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. degree — an amount
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. cap — a hat
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bear — the animal
  16. tear — from crying
  17. saw — the tool
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. squash — the sport
  20. spring — the season
  21. tear — to rip
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. foot — a measure

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