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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: bear · lean · rest · bark · degree · roll · bat · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — to shout
  4. rest — what's left
  5. degree — temperature
  6. lean — to bend
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. rest — a break
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. degree — from a university
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — after costs
  22. roll — a cake
  23. roll — a list
  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