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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. firm — decided
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. firm — steady
  6. wake — a trail
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. drill — army training
  9. firm — a company
  10. bark — to shout
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. degree — an amount
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. branch — a division
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. branch — of a tree

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