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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. tear — to rip
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wake — a trail
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wind — moving air
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bound — certain
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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