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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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468
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 · bulb · game · bay · foot · bark · squash · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. degree — from a university
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bark — to shout
  9. squash — to crush
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bulb — for light
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. degree — temperature
  21. game — a match
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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