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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: band · saw · bear · degree · trunk · arm · tear · pitcher

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. tear — from crying
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bear — the animal
  5. degree — temperature
  6. tear — to rip
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. saw — the tool
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. band — a music group
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. band — a ring
  24. pitcher — a jug

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