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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: foot · bore · degree · stand · field · straw · shower · tear

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. field — a subject
  4. tear — to rip
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. tear — from crying
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. degree — from a university
  10. field — farmland
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. tear — from crying
  13. shower — rain
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. shower — to wash
  17. degree — temperature
  18. field — for sport
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. degree — an amount
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bore — to drill
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bore — gave birth

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