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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 120 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: nail · stock · kick · perch · bark · degree · bay · ball

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. degree — temperature
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. ball — a great time
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. degree — an amount
  12. stock — shares
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a dance
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. perch — the fish
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. kick — in football

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