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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: fine · rest · present · degree · key · kid · tear · bark

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. fine — all right
  3. rest — what's left
  4. degree — temperature
  5. fine — high quality
  6. kid — child
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. key — in music
  11. kid — to tease
  12. present — there
  13. key — the most important part
  14. rest — what's left
  15. tear — to rip
  16. degree — an amount
  17. rest — a break
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. tear — from crying
  20. present — the time now
  21. key — for a lock
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. present — a gift
  24. tear — from crying

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