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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  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. bark — to shout
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. degree — an amount
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cold — an illness
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. branch — a division
  12. degree — from a university
  13. last — finally
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. plane — a tool
  17. stand — to bear
  18. last — to go on
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. last — final
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. degree — temperature
  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