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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 116 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. degree — from a university
  3. drill — the tool
  4. stem — to come from
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. saw — the tool
  10. drill — army training
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bark — to shout
  15. degree — temperature
  16. fall — the season
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. degree — an amount
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. saw — the tool

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