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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: bark · bore · tube · hand · mouse · degree · object · ball

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bark — to shout
  9. ball — a great time
  10. hand — in cards
  11. object — a thing
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. object — to protest
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — temperature
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — to drill
  22. object — an aim
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bark — of a tree

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