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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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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: bear · kid · bark · hide · coach · club · leaves · degree

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. degree — temperature
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. degree — an amount
  9. club — for golf
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for dancing
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. kid — child
  24. degree — from a university

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