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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. craft — boats
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bark — to shout
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. degree — an amount
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. craft — a skill
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. march — music
  20. deal — to handle
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. degree — from a university
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. stem — to come from

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