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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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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: wave · bay · kid · tear · bore · degree · current · race

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. tear — from crying
  6. degree — from a university
  7. race — a contest
  8. tear — from crying
  9. kid — to tease
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bore — to tire
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. kid — child
  17. race — humankind
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bore — to drill
  20. degree — temperature
  21. current — of water
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — electric

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