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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: tear · stick · board · bear · track · file · shower · degree

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bear — the animal
  4. shower — rain
  5. track — a path
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a committee
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. file — a line of people
  11. degree — an amount
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. track — a song
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bear — the animal
  19. file — a document
  20. file — a tool
  21. tear — to rip
  22. degree — temperature
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. degree — from a university

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