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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 · can · object · degree · current · bank · bear · land

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. object — to protest
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. can — a tin
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bear — the animal
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. degree — temperature
  11. current — electric
  12. bank — of a river
  13. land — ground
  14. bear — the animal
  15. current — happening now
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bank — for money
  20. object — an aim
  21. current — of water
  22. bank — for money
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. object — a thing

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