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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bear — the animal
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bear — the animal
  10. key — for a lock
  11. degree — temperature
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. key — in music
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. key — the most important part
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bark — to shout
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. dip — to sink
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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