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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. bark — to shout
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. net — for catching
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bulb — for light
  15. press — newspapers
  16. perch — the fish
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. degree — temperature
  19. press — to push
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. net — in sport
  22. degree — an amount
  23. net — after costs
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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