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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bear — the animal
  4. degree — temperature
  5. drill — the tool
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — from a university
  12. squash — the sport
  13. cap — a hat
  14. tear — from crying
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. stem — to come from
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. drill — army training
  22. squash — to crush
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bear — the animal

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