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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pop — soda
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. swing — music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. pop — music
  14. bark — to shout
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. key — in music
  17. degree — from a university
  18. key — for a lock
  19. swing — in golf
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. degree — an amount
  22. lean — thin
  23. pop — to visit
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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