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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. root — of a plant
  7. plane — a tool
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bore — to drill
  10. row — to paddle
  11. root — the cause
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bore — to tire
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pit — in a race
  21. hand — help
  22. root — of a word
  23. row — a line
  24. row — a quarrel

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