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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tear · rush · bark · firm · degree · staff · vault · game

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bark — to shout
  4. degree — temperature
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. tear — from crying
  7. degree — from a university
  8. vault — a safe
  9. firm — decided
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a match
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. staff — employees
  14. firm — a company
  15. tear — to rip
  16. rush — hurry
  17. tear — from crying
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. firm — steady
  22. staff — employees
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. staff — a stick

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