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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. object — a thing
  3. bore — to tire
  4. pound — a weight
  5. stem — to come from
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — an aim
  8. court — of law
  9. bore — to drill
  10. court — of a king
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. degree — temperature
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. degree — from a university
  19. court — for sport
  20. bear — the animal
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. lie — an untruth

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