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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 116 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: degree · lean · plane · fork · snap · shower · bear · bore

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bear — the animal
  5. degree — an amount
  6. shower — rain
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. fork — in a road
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bore — to tire
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bore — to drill
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — thin
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — to wash
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bear — the animal
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. fork — a garden 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