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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 120 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: drill · root · branch · degree · bound · tear · present · shower

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. tear — from crying
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — of a word
  6. drill — a practice
  7. tear — to rip
  8. shower — rain
  9. present — the time now
  10. drill — the tool
  11. present — there
  12. drill — army training
  13. present — a gift
  14. shower — to wash
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — from a university
  18. branch — a division
  19. bound — tied together
  20. root — the cause
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bound — obliged

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