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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bore — to drill
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. plane — a tool
  12. can — a tin
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. face — to point toward
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. degree — from a university
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bark — to shout
  20. can — a tin
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. degree — an amount

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