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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · hide · lie · degree · bear · bore · bark · ball

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. degree — from a university
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bore — to drill
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. ball — a great time
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bear — the animal
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — temperature

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