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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. degree — an amount
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bark — to shout
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. branch — a division
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. degree — temperature
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. shower — rain

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