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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: dip · bank · kick · spell · degree · land · bound · bark

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. degree — from a university
  3. land — a country
  4. bound — tied together
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bank — of a river
  7. kick — in football
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bank — for money
  10. spell — letters
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — to shout
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bound — obliged
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. spell — magic
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bank — for money
  23. land — ground
  24. land — to come down

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