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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: tube · leaves · can · pitch · degree · bound · bark · race

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. can — a tin
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bark — to shout
  5. race — the arms race
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. race — humankind
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bound — tied together
  11. can — to be able to
  12. race — a contest
  13. can — a tin
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bound — certain
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. pitch — completely
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bound — obliged

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