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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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Word bank
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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: pop · stand · degree · tear · bat · lean · roll · kick

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stand — to bear
  4. kick — in football
  5. pop — music
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. pop — soda
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bat — the animal
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. tear — to rip
  15. roll — a list
  16. degree — from a university
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. tear — from crying
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. degree — temperature

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