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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.

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: row · content · degree · spell · stick · wound · ball · bark

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. content — the amount
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. wound — an injury
  7. degree — an amount
  8. spell — letters
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. content — happy
  11. ball — a dance
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. row — a line
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. degree — from a university
  22. wound — an injury
  23. spell — a short time
  24. ball — a great time

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