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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: kid · stock · degree · bark · bulb · lash · land · bound

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bound — certain
  4. stock — shares
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. land — a country
  7. land — to come down
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. kid — to tease
  14. stock — goods
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. kid — child
  21. land — ground
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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