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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. degree — temperature
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. mark — a trace
  10. degree — an amount
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. land — a country
  13. land — to come down
  14. cell — in biology
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. land — ground
  17. bark — to shout
  18. mark — a grade
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. cell — a phone
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. staff — employees
  24. hide — to keep secret

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