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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 116 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 · bear · net · bore · ground · degree · band · shower

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bore — to drill
  4. band — a music group
  5. ground — a position
  6. bore — to tire
  7. ground — the earth
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. degree — an amount
  12. saw — the tool
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. degree — temperature
  16. shower — rain
  17. degree — from a university
  18. saw — the tool
  19. net — in sport
  20. ground — crushed
  21. net — after costs
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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