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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · key · bear · leaves · tear · race

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. degree — an amount
  3. race — a contest
  4. tear — to rip
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bear — the animal
  9. key — for a lock
  10. degree — from a university
  11. race — humankind
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bear — the animal
  15. tear — from crying
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. race — the arms race

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