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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 all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bark — to shout
  3. degree — an amount
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bank — of a river
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. degree — temperature
  10. clip — to cut
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bore — to tire
  13. tear — from crying
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bore — to drill
  18. clip — for paper
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. clip — a video
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — for money
  24. tear — from crying

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