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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 · drill · bore · rush · bark · squash · key · rash

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bore — to drill
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. drill — army training
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bark — to shout
  8. degree — temperature
  9. rush — hurry
  10. key — for a lock
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. rash — hasty
  16. drill — the tool
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rash — a series
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. degree — an amount
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bore — gave birth
  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