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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · spell · degree · hide · spring · sharp · tear · bore

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — magic
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. degree — temperature
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. spring — the season
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. tear — to rip
  12. spell — a short time
  13. tear — from crying
  14. spring — of water
  15. degree — from a university
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — the underground
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bore — to tire
  23. tear — from crying
  24. spring — a coil

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