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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: ground · lie · degree · branch · board · rule · fall · bark

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. ground — the earth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. degree — an amount
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rule — a law
  9. ground — crushed
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. degree — temperature
  12. ground — a position
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. fall — to drop
  18. board — a committee
  19. rule — government
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. branch — a division
  22. fall — the season
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. degree — from a university

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