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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. degree — from a university
  5. plane — a tool
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. lean — thin
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. stand — to bear
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bark — to shout
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bound — certain
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. degree — temperature
  19. lean — to bend
  20. ball — a dance
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bound — obliged
  24. pound — to hit hard

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