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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: object · bound · cue · bark · degree · kick · perch · press

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. degree — an amount
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. object — an aim
  7. bound — certain
  8. press — a publisher
  9. cue — for pool
  10. object — to protest
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bark — to shout
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. press — newspapers
  15. kick — in football
  16. cue — a hint
  17. degree — from a university
  18. object — a thing
  19. press — to push
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bound — obliged
  23. cue — a signal
  24. kick — with a leg

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