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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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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 · kid · trunk · wave · firm · degree · row · bear

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bear — the animal
  4. degree — temperature
  5. firm — decided
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. firm — a company
  9. kid — child
  10. firm — steady
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. degree — from a university
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bear — the animal
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. degree — an amount

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