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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: ball · bark · spring · net · degree · root · game · safe

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. degree — from a university
  4. net — in sport
  5. root — of a plant
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. game — a match
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. degree — an amount
  10. ball — a great time
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bark — to shout
  13. spring — the season
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. root — of a word
  17. spring — a coil
  18. degree — temperature
  19. spring — of water
  20. net — for catching
  21. root — the cause
  22. ball — a dance
  23. game — wild animals
  24. net — after costs

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