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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.

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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: foot · rush · bark · clip · degree · temple · rock · lean

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bark — to shout
  4. rock — a stone
  5. degree — an amount
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. clip — a video
  9. lean — thin
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. rush — hurry
  15. clip — for paper
  16. degree — from a university
  17. clip — to cut
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. foot — a measure
  21. rock — music
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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