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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to sink
  11. degree — an amount
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. face — to confront
  17. scale — in music
  18. chip — to eat
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — to grow
  24. kick — in football

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