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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bark — to shout
  4. fine — high quality
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bound — tied together
  9. degree — temperature
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. degree — from a university
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bound — obliged
  18. fine — all right
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bound — certain
  23. bulb — for light
  24. branch — of a tree

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