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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. degree — from a university
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. can — a tin
  6. wound — an injury
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stock — goods
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. can — to be able to
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. sharp — clever
  17. degree — an amount
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bark — to shout
  20. degree — temperature
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. can — a tin
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. stock — shares

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