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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 120 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 · degree · bark · present · mark · rest · object · racket

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. bulb — for light
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. present — a gift
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bark — to shout
  12. object — a thing
  13. mark — a trace
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. degree — from a university
  16. present — there
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. present — the time now
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — an aim
  22. degree — an amount
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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