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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bark — to shout
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. mug — to rob
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. mug — a cup
  15. chip — for betting
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. degree — an amount
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. degree — temperature
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. chip — to eat
  22. mug — a face
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. dip — to sink

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