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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.

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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: pound · board · degree · row · bulb · drill · bark · deal

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. board — a committee
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bark — to shout
  5. degree — from a university
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. deal — to handle
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. drill — the tool
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. drill — army training
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bulb — for light
  19. drill — a practice
  20. degree — temperature
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. board — to get on
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bulb — for light

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