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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. march — the month
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. prune — to trim
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. march — music
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. degree — an amount
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. march — the month
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. chip — to eat
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. chip — for betting
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — a tool
  22. spell — a short time
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bark — to shout

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