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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. degree — temperature
  3. perch — the fish
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. degree — from a university
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. stand — to bear
  15. can — a tin
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — to shout
  18. degree — an amount

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