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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. drill — army training
  4. chest — of your body
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. degree — an amount
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. press — to push
  15. press — a publisher
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. drill — a practice
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. pound — a weight
  21. press — newspapers
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — from a university
  24. chest — a box

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