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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. present — there
  3. present — a gift
  4. rash — a series
  5. board — a committee
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. present — the time now
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. rash — hasty
  12. snap — to click
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — an amount
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bark — to shout
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. degree — temperature

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