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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: degree · march · mug · wake · nail · date · ball · bark

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bark — to shout
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. march — the month
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. wake — a trail
  11. ball — a dance
  12. mug — a face
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. mug — a cup
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. degree — from a university
  21. mug — to rob
  22. degree — an amount
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wake — before a funeral

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