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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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 — from a university
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. branch — a division
  5. stock — goods
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. degree — temperature
  8. wax — to grow
  9. bark — to shout
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. season — of the year
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. craft — a skill
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. craft — boats
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. season — in sport
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. stock — shares
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. degree — an amount

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