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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bark — to shout
  3. saw — the tool
  4. suit — clothes
  5. degree — temperature
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. capital — a city
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. suit — in cards
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. saw — the tool
  16. degree — an amount
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. suit — to fit
  19. cold — not warm
  20. capital — money
  21. cold — an illness
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. capital — a big letter

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