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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: bark · rule · craft · game · tear · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. degree — from a university
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. degree — an amount
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bark — to shout
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. craft — boats
  14. game — a match
  15. rule — government
  16. craft — a skill
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rule — a law

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