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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 116 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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rest — a break
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — to bear
  16. rest — what's left
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bound — certain
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mine — for digging
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. mine — an explosive

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