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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · tear · sharp · degree · capital · tube · root · bass

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. root — the cause
  4. object — a thing
  5. tear — from crying
  6. sharp — clever
  7. degree — temperature
  8. tube — the underground
  9. object — an aim
  10. tube — a container
  11. tear — to rip
  12. capital — a city
  13. bass — low music
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. degree — an amount
  18. capital — money
  19. root — of a word
  20. bass — the fish
  21. degree — from a university
  22. object — to protest
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. root — of a plant

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