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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: degree · jam · swing · bark · lean · racket · chip · mark

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. lean — to bend
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — an amount
  7. mark — a grade
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. swing — music
  10. degree — temperature
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — to shout
  16. lean — thin
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. chip — for betting
  21. mark — a trace
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bark — of a tree

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