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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fine · degree · bowl · wound · bark · land · mark · perch

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bark — to shout
  6. fine — high quality
  7. mark — a grade
  8. land — to come down
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. land — ground
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. land — a country
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. degree — temperature
  17. perch — the fish
  18. mark — a trace
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. degree — an amount
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fine — all right

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