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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. land — a country
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bark — to shout
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. degree — an amount
  10. land — ground
  11. charge — a price
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — the cause
  16. mine — for digging
  17. charge — electricity
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. land — to come down
  20. charge — in control
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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