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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: degree · bark · leaves · spring · rush · lie · current · trunk

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. current — happening now
  6. spring — the season
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. degree — an amount
  10. lie — to recline
  11. rush — hurry
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bark — to shout
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. current — electric
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. current — of water
  24. spring — of water

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