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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. court — of a king
  5. cap — a lid
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cap — a hat
  16. court — of law
  17. cap — of ice
  18. kick — in football
  19. degree — an amount
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. degree — from a university
  22. court — for sport
  23. bark — to shout
  24. degree — temperature

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