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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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 — of a tree
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bulb — for light
  4. present — there
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. pop — music
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. present — the time now
  10. pop — to visit
  11. wake — a trail
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. pop — soda
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. present — a gift
  19. prune — to trim
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. prune — to trim
  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