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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: ground · dip · kick · bound · degree · bore · bark · band

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — obliged
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. band — a music group
  6. ground — a position
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — from a university
  9. band — a ring
  10. degree — temperature
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bore — to tire
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. dip — to sink
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. ground — the earth
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — in football

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