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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. firm — steady
  6. capital — money
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. land — a country
  10. tear — from crying
  11. degree — from a university
  12. ball — a great time
  13. capital — a city
  14. tear — from crying
  15. degree — an amount
  16. firm — a company
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. land — to come down
  19. bark — to shout
  20. ball — a dance
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. land — ground
  23. firm — decided
  24. tear — to rip

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