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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.

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: track · hide · rest · pass · degree · jam · spring · bark

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. track — a path
  3. degree — from a university
  4. spring — the season
  5. pass — a permit
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. spring — of water
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. spring — a coil
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. rest — what's left
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rest — what's left
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. rest — a break
  21. bark — to shout
  22. degree — temperature
  23. track — a song
  24. bark — of a tree

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