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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 120 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: drill · degree · kid · current · stem · lash · pitcher · tear

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. degree — temperature
  5. drill — army training
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. kid — to tease
  8. current — of water
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. degree — an amount
  12. current — happening now
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. drill — a practice
  15. stem — to come from
  16. drill — the tool
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. current — electric
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. degree — from a university
  24. kid — child

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