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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: row · file · hand · rush · bark · deal · stock · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rush — hurry
  5. hand — in cards
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. stock — goods
  8. degree — an amount
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. row — a line
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bark — to shout
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. file — a document
  22. hand — help
  23. file — a tool
  24. rush — to hurry

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