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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. object — to protest
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. row — to paddle
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. lean — to bend
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. lean — thin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. degree — from a university
  17. object — a thing
  18. row — a line
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bulb — for light
  24. degree — an amount

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