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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: staff · can · row · pound · rock · degree · tear · bear

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. can — a tin
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bear — the animal
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rock — music
  13. can — to be able to
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — a stone
  18. tear — from crying
  19. staff — employees
  20. pound — a weight
  21. can — a tin
  22. staff — employees
  23. row — a line
  24. staff — a stick

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