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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: object · nail · wound · stand · dip · degree · sharp · bore

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. degree — temperature
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. degree — from a university
  11. dip — to sink
  12. wound — an injury
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bore — to tire
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bore — to drill
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — a thing
  24. nail — for a hammer

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