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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.

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: bark · mine · kick · suit · staff · degree · bulb · pit

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. staff — employees
  3. mine — for digging
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. pit — in a race
  6. staff — employees
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bark — to shout
  10. suit — in cards
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. kick — in football
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. suit — clothes
  16. pit — a hole
  17. degree — from a university
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. suit — to fit
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bulb — for light

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