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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. stem — to come from
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. rock — a stone
  7. degree — an amount
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rock — music
  11. land — ground
  12. bark — to shout
  13. mark — a grade
  14. staff — employees
  15. mark — a trace
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. degree — temperature
  19. land — to come down
  20. staff — a stick
  21. degree — from a university
  22. staff — employees
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. land — a country

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