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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. cold — not warm
  3. branch — a division
  4. hand — help
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. degree — temperature
  7. charge — in control
  8. tube — a container
  9. charge — electricity
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. tube — the underground
  13. degree — an amount
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. hand — in cards
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bark — to shout
  19. can — a tin
  20. degree — from a university
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. cold — an illness
  23. can — a tin
  24. charge — a price

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