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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.

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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: bulb · tear · bark · foot · degree · press · racket · wake

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. press — to push
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — to shout
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bulb — for light
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — a measure
  10. degree — from a university
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — a publisher
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. wake — a trail
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. degree — temperature
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. degree — an amount

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