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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: wake · bound · bark · degree · fork · pitch · bear · pass

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. pitch — completely
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — a permit
  9. wake — a trail
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. degree — from a university
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bark — to shout
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bound — certain
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bear — the animal
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pitch — a sports field

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