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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. file — a document
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. pop — soda
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. bat — the animal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pop — music
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. press — to push
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. prune — to trim
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — newspapers
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bass — low music

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