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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. club — for golf
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. rush — hurry
  9. club — a group
  10. staff — employees
  11. present — there
  12. club — for dancing
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. degree — temperature
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. degree — from a university
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. present — a gift

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