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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: bound · ruler · can · shower · tear · degree · foot · date

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. tear — from crying
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. date — the fruit
  6. tear — to rip
  7. shower — rain
  8. can — a tin
  9. degree — temperature
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bound — obliged
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. degree — an amount
  16. shower — to wash
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bound — certain
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. can — to be able to
  21. bound — tied together
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. foot — a measure
  24. can — a tin

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