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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 120 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. rule — a law
  5. face — to confront
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bark — to shout
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. lean — thin
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. wake — a trail
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. lean — to bend
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. rule — government
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. stand — to bear

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