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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: bark · field · rash · calf · degree · net · mark · scale

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. field — a subject
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. scale — size or range
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. net — for catching
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bark — to shout
  11. rash — a series
  12. degree — temperature
  13. field — farmland
  14. mark — a grade
  15. net — after costs
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — in music
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a trace
  20. degree — an amount
  21. net — in sport
  22. rash — hasty
  23. degree — from a university
  24. field — for sport

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