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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: shower · rash · drill · tear · bark · bore · safe · degree

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bore — to drill
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. rash — hasty
  7. degree — temperature
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. degree — an amount
  12. shower — rain
  13. drill — a practice
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. shower — to wash
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. degree — from a university

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