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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 116 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: firm · bark · drill · bear · lean · race · degree · season

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bear — the animal
  4. firm — a company
  5. season — in sport
  6. degree — from a university
  7. race — a contest
  8. lean — to bend
  9. race — humankind
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. firm — decided
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. degree — an amount
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. race — the arms race
  17. lean — thin
  18. bark — to shout
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bear — the animal
  21. degree — temperature
  22. firm — steady
  23. drill — the tool
  24. lean — to rest against

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