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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 · fork · spell · lie · perch · mark · bark · club

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. club — for golf
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. perch — the fish
  6. club — a group
  7. spell — magic
  8. degree — from a university
  9. club — for dancing
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. spell — letters
  12. degree — an amount
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. spell — a short time
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fork — in a road
  19. degree — temperature
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. bark — to shout
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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