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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: mark · wound · degree · kid · rash · club · pass · bound

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — a group
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. rash — a series
  7. wound — an injury
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bound — obliged
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mark — a trace
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bound — certain
  14. club — for golf
  15. pass — a permit
  16. wound — an injury
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bound — tied together
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. kid — to tease

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