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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  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. degree — temperature
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. row — to paddle
  5. degree — from a university
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. row — a line
  8. wake — a trail
  9. degree — an amount
  10. land — to come down
  11. spring — the season
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. land — a country
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. spring — a coil
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. spring — of water
  21. land — ground
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mark — a grade
  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