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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. firm — decided
  3. shower — to wash
  4. stand — to bear
  5. firm — steady
  6. firm — a company
  7. spring — the season
  8. bark — to shout
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. shower — rain
  13. can — to be able to
  14. season — in sport
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. can — a tin
  18. degree — from a university
  19. can — a tin
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — temperature
  22. spring — of water
  23. season — of the year
  24. spring — a coil

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