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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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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: wave · key · rash · bass · degree · pop · pitcher · bark

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bass — the fish
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bark — to shout
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bass — low music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pop — soda
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. pop — music
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. rash — a series
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. key — for a lock
  24. pop — to visit

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