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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bear · degree · spell · date · foot · bat · bore · lash

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. spell — letters
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. spell — a short time
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bear — the animal
  15. foot — a measure
  16. bear — the animal
  17. degree — from a university
  18. spell — magic
  19. bore — to drill
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bat — the animal
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. degree — temperature

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