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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
468
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: degree · bark · scale · calf · fan · rash · hand · ball

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. scale — size or range
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — temperature
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rash — a series
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. degree — an amount
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. scale — in music
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. hand — in cards
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. hand — help
  24. ball — a dance

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