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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: saw · bore · craft · row · degree · march · pass · rash

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. rash — hasty
  7. saw — the tool
  8. craft — a skill
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — from a university
  11. rash — a series
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. degree — temperature
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. march — the month
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bore — to tire
  18. craft — boats
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. march — the month
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. march — music
  23. row — a line
  24. row — to paddle

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