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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. degree — temperature
  3. chair — a leader
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bark — to shout
  6. tube — the underground
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. fine — all right
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. tube — a container
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. fine — high quality
  15. degree — from a university
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. degree — an amount
  20. plane — a tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. chair — a professorship

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