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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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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: degree · bat · tear · lean · stick · branch · bore · racket

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bore — to tire
  9. tear — from crying
  10. branch — a division
  11. degree — an amount
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. tear — to rip
  14. lean — to bend
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bat — the animal
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — from a university
  22. lean — thin
  23. bore — gave birth
  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