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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. row — to paddle
  3. degree — an amount
  4. row — a line
  5. file — a tool
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. degree — from a university
  8. wound — an injury
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. lean — thin
  12. band — a ring
  13. track — a path
  14. bear — the animal
  15. file — a line of people
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. track — to keep track
  18. file — a document
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wound — an injury
  22. lean — to bend
  23. track — a song
  24. degree — temperature

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