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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. root — of a plant
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — a law
  11. root — the cause
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — temperature
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bark — to shout
  17. rule — government
  18. toast — bread
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. root — of a word
  21. stem — to come from
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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