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

Word bank: fall · dip · rock · degree · toast · cell · mine · bark

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bark — to shout
  3. fall — the season
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. degree — an amount
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mine — for digging
  12. cell — in biology
  13. degree — temperature
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. cell — a phone
  20. rock — a stone
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. degree — from a university
  23. toast — bread
  24. rock — music

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