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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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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: degree · bark · stick · hide · object · staff · present · bass

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. present — there
  3. staff — employees
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. object — to protest
  9. present — the time now
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. staff — employees
  12. bass — low music
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. present — a gift
  15. degree — from a university
  16. staff — a stick
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bass — the fish
  22. degree — temperature
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. object — an aim

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