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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. plane — a tool
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. dip — to sink
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bark — to shout
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — from a university
  15. chair — a leader
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — the underground
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. pitch — completely
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. degree — temperature
  24. stem — to come from

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