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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. can — a tin
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bore — to drill
  5. mine — for digging
  6. can — to be able to
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. can — a tin
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — an amount
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. fall — the season
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. bore — to tire
  20. fall — to drop
  21. track — a song
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. ruler — for measuring

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