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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: deal · degree · wake · can · bound · bark · lie · prune

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. degree — an amount
  6. lie — to recline
  7. bound — obliged
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. prune — to trim
  10. deal — to handle
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — certain
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — to shout
  21. can — a tin
  22. wake — a trail
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. can — a tin

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