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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. pop — music
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. pop — soda
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. foot — a measure
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. lean — thin
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. bark — to shout
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. degree — from a university
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. lean — to bend
  24. degree — temperature

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