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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
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: ball · nail · court · lean · root · bark · fall · degree

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. court — of law
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. ball — a dance
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lean — thin
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — from a university
  10. court — for sport
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bark — to shout
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. fall — the season
  15. ball — a great time
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — of a plant
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. root — the cause
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. fall — to drop
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. court — of a king

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