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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 116 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 · drill · bass · snap · press · degree · spring · fork

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bass — low music
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bark — to shout
  6. snap — to click
  7. spring — a coil
  8. press — a publisher
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. spring — the season
  11. degree — temperature
  12. fork — in a road
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. degree — from a university
  16. spring — of water
  17. drill — a practice
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. degree — an amount
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bass — the fish
  22. press — to push
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. press — newspapers

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