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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: saw · court · degree · bay · staff · leaves · row · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. tear — to rip
  5. court — for sport
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. court — of law
  10. staff — employees
  11. saw — the tool
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. tear — from crying
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. degree — temperature
  20. saw — the tool
  21. staff — a stick
  22. court — of a king
  23. row — a line
  24. staff — employees

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