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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. degree — an amount
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bark — to shout
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bulb — for light
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. can — a tin
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. can — a tin
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. vault — a safe
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bulb — for light
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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