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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: pass · chest · degree · mate · bank · spell · snap · bark

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. spell — letters
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bank — for money
  7. chest — a box
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. spell — magic
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a partner
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bank — for money
  16. mate — a friend
  17. chest — of your body
  18. snap — to click
  19. chest — of your body
  20. degree — from a university
  21. spell — a short time
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bank — of a river
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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