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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 · pitcher · pound · stick · key · shower · degree · plane

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. key — in music
  4. plane — a tool
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. key — the most important part
  7. pound — a weight
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. shower — rain
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. key — for a lock
  17. degree — temperature
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bark — to shout
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. shower — to wash

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