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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: bark · bore · march · foot · pop · roll · spell · degree

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. pop — music
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. march — music
  5. bark — to shout
  6. march — the month
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. march — the month
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bore — to drill
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. foot — a measure
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. roll — a cake
  16. bore — to tire
  17. spell — letters
  18. roll — a list
  19. spell — magic
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. spell — a short time
  22. pop — soda
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bore — gave birth

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