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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: bear · bowl · tube · stick · bass · degree · ground · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. ground — the earth
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. tube — a container
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. tear — to rip
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bass — low music
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ground — a position
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bear — the animal
  24. tube — in a tire

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