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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. clip — for paper
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hand — in cards
  6. degree — from a university
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. degree — temperature
  9. hand — help
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — to bear
  13. clip — a video
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. deal — to handle
  19. clip — to cut
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bear — to put up with

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