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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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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: pound · degree · fork · season · rule · plane · bark · bass

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. plane — a tool
  3. bark — to shout
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. fork — in a road
  11. degree — from a university
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bass — the fish
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. season — of the year
  17. pound — a weight
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. rule — a law
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bass — low music
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. season — in sport

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