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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: march · ground · bear · lie · bore · degree · arm · temple

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  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. bore — to tire
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. march — the month
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bore — to drill
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bear — the animal
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — an amount
  16. march — music
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. march — the month
  20. ground — crushed
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. temple — side of the head
  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