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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: tear · degree · kick · saw · foot · hide · temple · spring

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. foot — a measure
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. spring — the season
  6. tear — from crying
  7. kick — in football
  8. saw — the tool
  9. spring — of water
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. degree — an amount
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. tear — from crying
  16. spring — a coil
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. tear — to rip
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. degree — from a university
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. saw — the tool

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