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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. degree — from a university
  3. lean — to bend
  4. kid — child
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. degree — an amount
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lean — thin
  12. kid — to tease
  13. degree — temperature
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — 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