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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 124 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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. degree — temperature
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. root — the cause
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — of a plant
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. degree — from a university
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wave — with your hand

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