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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 116 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: pop · rest · mate · drill · degree · row · straw · bear

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — music
  5. mate — a friend
  6. rest — what's left
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rest — a break
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. degree — from a university
  13. drill — the tool
  14. row — a line
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. mate — to breed
  19. drill — army training
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bear — the animal
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. mate — a partner
  24. pop — soda

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