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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: bay · field · stick · bark · spring · chip · bowl · degree

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. spring — a coil
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. spring — of water
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. field — farmland
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. spring — the season
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. field — a subject
  14. chip — for betting
  15. degree — from a university
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bark — to shout
  18. field — for sport
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bark — of a tree
  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