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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. degree — an amount
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. mark — a trace
  12. file — a document
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. mark — a grade
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. rush — hurry
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. file — a tool
  24. degree — from a university

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