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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. degree — an amount
  4. cap — a lid
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pop — soda
  8. pass — a permit
  9. cap — a hat
  10. pop — music
  11. bark — to shout
  12. degree — from a university
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. cap — of ice
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. deal — to handle
  18. plane — a tool
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. pop — to visit
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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