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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: field · spring · bore · tear · degree · fine · pass · can

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. can — a tin
  6. spring — the season
  7. can — to be able to
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. field — a subject
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pass — a permit
  12. spring — a coil
  13. field — for sport
  14. degree — temperature
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bore — to tire
  18. fine — all right
  19. can — a tin
  20. field — farmland
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bore — to drill
  23. fine — high quality
  24. degree — an amount

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