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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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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: tear · present · snap · degree · mouse · object · bear · cold

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. cold — an illness
  3. tear — to rip
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. object — a thing
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cold — not warm
  9. present — a gift
  10. object — an aim
  11. degree — an amount
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — there
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — from a university
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. object — to protest

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