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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bank — for money
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bank — for money
  13. degree — temperature
  14. ground — the earth
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. season — in sport
  17. bark — to shout
  18. deal — to handle
  19. ground — a position
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. plane — a tool
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. season — of the year

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