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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: bulb · deal · safe · wind · trunk · bark · hand · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. hand — help
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. wind — moving air
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bulb — for light
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. hand — in cards
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bark — to shout
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. degree — from a university
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wind — moving air
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. degree — an amount
  24. trunk — of a car

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