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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 116 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. fall — the season
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bark — to shout
  5. spell — a short time
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bound — certain
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rest — a break
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bound — obliged
  14. spell — magic
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fork — in a road
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. spell — letters
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. degree — temperature
  24. mark — a trace

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