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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bark — to shout
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. season — in sport
  14. degree — an amount
  15. firm — steady
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. firm — a company
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. stand — to bear
  20. firm — decided
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. degree — from a university
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. degree — temperature

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