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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: tear · mark · bark · toast · craft · degree · bore · wind

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. craft — boats
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bore — to drill
  8. tear — from crying
  9. degree — an amount
  10. toast — bread
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bore — to tire
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — a grade
  17. wind — moving air
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — a skill

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