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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 120 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: drill · tear · object · content · pop · degree · temple · stand

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. tear — from crying
  3. drill — army training
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. drill — the tool
  6. tear — to rip
  7. object — an aim
  8. pop — soda
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. pop — music
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — an amount
  14. drill — a practice
  15. stand — to bear
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. object — to protest
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — happy
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. tear — from crying
  22. object — a thing
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. temple — a place of worship

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