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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 124 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: bass · degree · saw · board · mark · rock · tear · snap

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bass — the fish
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. snap — to click
  9. rock — music
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. saw — the tool
  13. degree — temperature
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. degree — from a university
  17. saw — the tool
  18. board — a committee
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bass — low music
  21. mark — a grade
  22. board — to get on
  23. rock — a stone
  24. degree — an amount

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