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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: cold · lie · firm · fan · bark · degree · kick · lean

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — not warm
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to bend
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bark — to shout
  8. degree — an amount
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. kick — in football
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. firm — a company
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. degree — from a university
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — steady

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