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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. prune — to trim
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bear — the animal
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. prune — to trim
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bear — the animal
  15. degree — temperature
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. fine — high quality
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. chair — a leader
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bark — to shout
  24. hide — to keep secret

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