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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: racket · row · degree · leaves · nail · bowl · pitcher · bark

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — temperature
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. row — a line
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. row — to paddle
  24. racket — for tennis

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