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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. season — of the year
  3. root — the cause
  4. pound — a weight
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. season — in sport
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. degree — an amount
  16. root — of a word
  17. face — to confront
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rash — a series
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. root — of a plant
  22. face — to point toward
  23. rash — hasty
  24. pound — to hit hard

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