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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 120 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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. track — a path
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. degree — temperature
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bore — to tire
  10. squash — the sport
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. wake — a trail
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — an amount
  21. tear — to rip
  22. squash — to crush
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bore — to drill

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