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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: ground · race · degree · plane · safe · bass · land · bark

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. land — to come down
  4. ground — a position
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. race — humankind
  9. plane — a tool
  10. race — the arms race
  11. land — a country
  12. degree — temperature
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bass — low music
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. ground — crushed
  17. degree — an amount
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. ground — the earth
  20. degree — from a university
  21. land — ground
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bass — the fish
  24. race — a contest

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