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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: bear · saw · can · file · hand · degree · calf · deal

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. saw — the tool
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. degree — an amount
  5. saw — the tool
  6. can — a tin
  7. file — a tool
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. hand — help
  12. can — a tin
  13. bear — the animal
  14. degree — from a university
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. file — a line of people
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. file — a document
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. deal — to handle

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