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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. fall — the season
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bark — to shout
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mug — a face
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. degree — an amount
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. degree — temperature
  14. mug — to rob
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. degree — from a university
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bark — a dog's sound

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