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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bark — to shout
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. rest — a break
  8. degree — from a university
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — a subject
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. rest — what's left
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. craft — a skill
  16. lean — thin
  17. craft — boats
  18. roll — a cake
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. roll — a list
  21. degree — an amount
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — to bend
  24. field — for sport

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