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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: bore · degree · fan · tube · toast · wound · pitch · saw

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bore — to drill
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. wound — an injury
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bore — to tire
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. toast — bread
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. degree — temperature
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. degree — from a university
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pitch — completely
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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