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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.

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: tear · hand · mine · dip · degree · bowl · key · mouse

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. tear — to rip
  3. hand — help
  4. mine — for digging
  5. tear — from crying
  6. degree — an amount
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. key — in music
  14. degree — from a university
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — to sink
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. key — the most important part
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. degree — temperature

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