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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to confront
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bark — to shout
  6. degree — temperature
  7. field — for sport
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. land — a country
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. face — to point toward
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. can — a tin
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. field — farmland
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. field — a subject
  20. land — to come down
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — from a university
  23. can — a tin
  24. land — ground

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