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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bark — to shout
  6. staff — a stick
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. object — to protest
  10. staff — employees
  11. object — an aim
  12. degree — temperature
  13. staff — employees
  14. object — a thing
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. degree — an amount
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. leaves — to go away

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