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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: rock · hide · ground · degree · fan · bore · hand · face

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bore — to tire
  5. degree — an amount
  6. ground — crushed
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. degree — from a university
  9. face — part of the head
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. ground — the earth
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. hand — help
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — music
  21. face — to confront
  22. ground — a position
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. degree — temperature

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