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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. hand — in cards
  3. shower — to wash
  4. face — part of the head
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. can — to be able to
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. current — happening now
  11. shower — rain
  12. face — to confront
  13. current — of water
  14. can — a tin
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. face — to point toward
  18. current — electric
  19. degree — temperature
  20. hand — help
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. degree — from a university
  23. can — a tin
  24. bark — of a tree

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