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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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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: tube · drill · wound · can · bound · degree · march · bear

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. can — a tin
  3. degree — from a university
  4. march — the month
  5. drill — a practice
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bear — the animal
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bound — tied together
  11. march — music
  12. bound — obliged
  13. tube — a container
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bound — certain
  21. wound — an injury
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. drill — army training
  24. march — the month

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