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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 116 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — to come from
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. charge — electricity
  8. suit — clothes
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bound — certain
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bound — obliged
  13. shower — rain
  14. mug — to rob
  15. degree — temperature
  16. charge — a price
  17. tear — from crying
  18. suit — to fit
  19. suit — in cards
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bound — tied together
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. charge — in control
  24. mug — a face

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