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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 116 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: sharp · fork · perch · bass · bore · tear · degree · bulb

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bore — to tire
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — in a road
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bass — the fish
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bulb — for light
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. degree — an amount
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bore — to drill
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bulb — for light
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bass — low music

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