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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. degree — from a university
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bark — to shout
  14. stem — to come from
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. degree — an amount
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. squash — to crush
  24. safe — out of danger

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