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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. spring — of water
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. spring — the season
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. spring — a coil
  10. degree — from a university
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. degree — temperature
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — shares
  15. present — the time now
  16. face — to confront
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. degree — an amount
  20. present — there
  21. bark — to shout
  22. face — to point toward
  23. present — a gift
  24. face — part of the head

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