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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bulb — for light
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bank — for money
  8. ground — crushed
  9. stock — shares
  10. degree — from a university
  11. press — a publisher
  12. stock — goods
  13. press — to push
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. ground — the earth
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. degree — an amount
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ground — a position

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