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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bark — to shout
  4. prune — to trim
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bat — the animal
  7. pop — soda
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. firm — a company
  11. snap — to click
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. pop — music
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. degree — from a university
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. firm — decided
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. pop — to visit
  24. firm — steady

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