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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: fine · lie · shower · degree · tear · board · perch · bore

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — to wash
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bore — to drill
  6. board — a committee
  7. tear — to rip
  8. fine — all right
  9. shower — rain
  10. degree — from a university
  11. fine — high quality
  12. perch — the fish
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bore — to tire
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. board — to get on
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. tear — from crying
  21. degree — temperature
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. tear — from crying
  24. board — a flat piece

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