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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bark — to shout
  4. roll — a cake
  5. prune — to trim
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. craft — a skill
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. prune — to trim
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. roll — a list
  16. degree — an amount
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. degree — from a university
  23. craft — boats
  24. mark — a trace

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