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

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. key — in music
  3. degree — from a university
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. degree — an amount
  8. shower — to wash
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. shower — rain
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. degree — temperature
  15. cold — an illness
  16. perch — the fish
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cold — not warm
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. key — the most important part
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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