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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. march — music
  3. degree — from a university
  4. hand — in cards
  5. march — the month
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. degree — temperature
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — to bear
  12. staff — a stick
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — a law
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. staff — employees
  17. degree — an amount
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. hand — help
  20. bark — to shout
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. march — the month
  23. staff — employees
  24. bark — of a tree

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