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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 120 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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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: wound · tear · mark · degree · racket · mate · bark · suit

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. degree — from a university
  7. suit — in cards
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. mate — a friend
  13. wound — an injury
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. wound — an injury
  17. degree — an amount
  18. suit — clothes
  19. tear — to rip
  20. suit — to fit
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. tear — from crying
  23. degree — temperature
  24. tear — from crying

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