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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. ball — a great time
  4. branch — a division
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pop — to visit
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pop — music
  10. squash — to crush
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. degree — from a university
  13. mark — a trace
  14. foot — a measure
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. squash — the sport
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. pop — soda
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. ball — a dance
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. foot — part of the body

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