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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. firm — decided
  3. bore — to tire
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bore — to drill
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. degree — from a university
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. firm — steady
  14. bark — to shout
  15. degree — temperature
  16. tube — the underground
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. firm — a company
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. date — the fruit
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — a container

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