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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: mark · degree · bark · coach · press · dip · perch · wind

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mark — a grade
  3. press — to push
  4. mark — a trace
  5. wind — moving air
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. perch — the fish
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wind — moving air
  13. dip — to sink
  14. press — a publisher
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. degree — an amount
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. degree — from a university
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bark — to shout
  24. press — newspapers

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