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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · game · toast · bore · club · tear · tube · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. degree — an amount
  3. game — wild animals
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. club — for dancing
  6. degree — from a university
  7. tube — the underground
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to drill
  11. tear — from crying
  12. club — a group
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. degree — temperature
  15. game — a match
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tube — a container
  20. tear — to rip
  21. toast — bread
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. club — for golf
  24. bore — to tire

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