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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: wound · pop · object · fork · bowl · degree · racket · content

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. degree — temperature
  8. content — the amount
  9. pop — music
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. pop — to visit
  13. object — a thing
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. object — to protest
  17. pop — soda
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — an amount
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. object — an aim
  23. content — happy
  24. bowl — a dish

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