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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 120 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. track — to keep track
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. degree — from a university
  8. track — a song
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. prune — to trim
  16. plane — a tool
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. vault — a safe
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. track — a path
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. prune — the fruit

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