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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: degree · present · bark · fall · temple · rush · tube · mark

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. present — the time now
  6. degree — temperature
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bark — to shout
  9. present — there
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — a container
  16. present — a gift
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rush — hurry
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. mark — a trace
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. degree — from a university
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bark — of a tree

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