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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
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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: tear · bark · bound · rash · staff · degree · net · vault

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bound — obliged
  3. net — in sport
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bound — tied together
  7. degree — temperature
  8. staff — a stick
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. bound — certain
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. rash — hasty
  14. tear — from crying
  15. degree — from a university
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. staff — employees
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — a safe
  20. bark — to shout
  21. tear — to rip
  22. rash — a series
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. tear — from crying

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