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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: wake · firm · drill · bound · rash · bark · present · degree

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. degree — temperature
  8. drill — a practice
  9. degree — an amount
  10. firm — steady
  11. present — a gift
  12. drill — army training
  13. present — there
  14. bound — tied together
  15. degree — from a university
  16. firm — a company
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. firm — decided
  20. bark — to shout
  21. rash — hasty
  22. present — the time now
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bark — of a tree

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