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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. present — a gift
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pound — a weight
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fine — all right
  7. bear — the animal
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — temperature
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bark — to shout
  19. date — the fruit
  20. fine — high quality
  21. present — the time now
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. present — there
  24. date — on the calendar

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