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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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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: ground · racket · wake · degree · bulb · rash · safe · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. ground — a position
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. wake — a trail
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. rash — a series
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bulb — for light
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bark — to shout
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

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