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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 124 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bear — the animal
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bound — certain
  11. ground — a position
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bear — the animal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. hand — help
  17. ground — crushed
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bound — tied together
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bark — to shout
  24. ground — the earth

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