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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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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: rush · sharp · race · degree · patient · root · bark · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. race — humankind
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. degree — from a university
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. degree — an amount
  11. root — the cause
  12. bound — certain
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. degree — temperature
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — the arms race
  17. root — of a word
  18. bound — tied together
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bark — to shout
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — hurry
  24. sharp — with an edge

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