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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bark — to shout
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. chest — of your body
  10. degree — temperature
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. chest — a box
  14. staff — employees
  15. chest — of your body
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. degree — from a university
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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