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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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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 · wave · lie · content · cell · bore · degree · vault

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bore — to tire
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — happy
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. cell — in biology
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. vault — a safe
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bore — to drill
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bark — to shout
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. cell — a phone
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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