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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 120 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. firm — steady
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — to shout
  5. prune — to trim
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. prune — to trim
  9. firm — decided
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. degree — temperature
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. firm — a company
  18. nail — for a hammer

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