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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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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: cap · mark · bound · degree · club · lash · wind · bark

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. cap — a lid
  3. mark — a trace
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. mark — a grade
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bound — certain
  14. club — for golf
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. cap — of ice
  18. degree — from a university
  19. club — a group
  20. bound — obliged
  21. degree — temperature
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. cap — a hat

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