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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: bowl · straw · present · cap · drill · degree · tear · staff

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. drill — army training
  3. staff — employees
  4. degree — temperature
  5. staff — employees
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. cap — a lid
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. cap — of ice
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. staff — a stick
  16. drill — a practice
  17. tear — from crying
  18. present — the time now
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. cap — a hat
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — there

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