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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mine — for digging
  4. prune — to trim
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. firm — a company
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. degree — temperature
  11. snap — to click
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. firm — steady
  15. firm — decided
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. degree — from a university
  19. kick — in football
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. degree — an amount
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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