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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: nail · degree · ground · cue · current · bass · prune · bark

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. degree — from a university
  3. ground — the earth
  4. cue — a hint
  5. ground — a position
  6. bass — low music
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. ground — crushed
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. current — of water
  14. prune — to trim
  15. current — electric
  16. degree — an amount
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a signal
  21. current — happening now
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bass — the fish
  24. degree — temperature

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