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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: bark · mug · degree · bound · clip · pitcher · squash · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. degree — temperature
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bound — obliged
  11. squash — to crush
  12. degree — from a university
  13. mug — a face
  14. clip — a video
  15. degree — an amount
  16. mug — to rob
  17. clip — for paper
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bound — certain
  20. stem — to come from
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bound — tied together

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