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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. land — ground
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. prune — to trim
  5. degree — temperature
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. land — a country
  8. prune — to trim
  9. lie — to recline
  10. root — of a word
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. degree — an amount
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bark — to shout
  16. squash — to crush
  17. root — the cause
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. squash — the sport
  21. degree — from a university
  22. land — to come down
  23. fine — all right
  24. bark — of a tree

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