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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: squash · degree · bear · bark · perch · mine · arm · stand

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. stand — to bear
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. degree — from a university
  11. mine — for digging
  12. degree — an amount
  13. squash — to crush
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bear — the animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bark — to shout
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

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