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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: roll · cold · degree · bound · jam · cabinet · saw · bore

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  3. bound — certain
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. roll — a cake
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. roll — a list
  10. bore — to tire
  11. degree — an amount
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bound — tied together
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bore — to drill
  22. degree — from a university
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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