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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: saw · degree · rush · bore · ground · rest · tear · mine

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — a position
  3. saw — the tool
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rest — a break
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — to tire
  16. degree — temperature
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. rest — what's left
  21. ground — the earth
  22. rush — hurry
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rush — to hurry

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