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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 116 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. bark — to shout
  3. hand — in cards
  4. tube — the underground
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bank — for money
  9. tube — a container
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. mark — a trace
  16. degree — an amount
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bulb — for light
  19. hand — help
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. degree — from a university
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bulb — for light

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