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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: racket · spell · cell · mate · tear · bore · current · degree

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. spell — magic
  4. tear — from crying
  5. degree — temperature
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mate — a partner
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — of water
  14. cell — a phone
  15. tear — from crying
  16. degree — from a university
  17. mate — a friend
  18. cell — in biology
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bore — to tire
  21. degree — an amount
  22. current — electric
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bore — to drill

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