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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. fall — to drop
  6. spell — letters
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. suit — in cards
  10. degree — from a university
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — magic
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. suit — to fit
  21. fall — the season
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bark — to shout
  24. suit — clothes

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