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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: ground · calf · bark · degree · cabinet · board · date · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. ground — crushed
  7. degree — an amount
  8. ground — a position
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. degree — from a university
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. degree — temperature
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. board — a committee
  17. date — the fruit
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bark — to shout
  24. board — to get on

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