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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: degree · pop · pound · dip · root · board · kid · bark

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. kid — child
  4. dip — to sink
  5. board — a committee
  6. pop — soda
  7. kid — to tease
  8. pop — music
  9. board — to get on
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pop — to visit
  12. degree — an amount
  13. root — of a word
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bark — to shout
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. root — the cause
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. root — of a plant
  24. degree — temperature

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