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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cabinet · wound · court · fork · object · ground · bark · degree

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. object — an aim
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — an amount
  6. object — to protest
  7. ground — crushed
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. court — of a king
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fork — in a road
  14. degree — temperature
  15. court — of law
  16. object — a thing
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. court — for sport
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. fork — a garden tool

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