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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.

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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: pit · degree · firm · bark · fall · tube · kick · hide

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bark — to shout
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. fall — to drop
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pit — in a race
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. firm — a company
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. degree — temperature
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. degree — an amount
  14. fall — to drop
  15. tube — the underground
  16. degree — from a university
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. firm — steady
  20. tube — a container
  21. firm — decided
  22. fall — the season
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. pit — a hole

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