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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: jam · stand · scale · degree · hide · bore · stem · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. scale — in music
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bore — to tire
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — to bear
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. degree — an amount
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bore — to drill
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. degree — temperature
  21. scale — size or range
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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