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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. bound — tied together
  3. perch — the fish
  4. branch — a division
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. track — a path
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. track — to keep track
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bound — obliged
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bound — certain
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. degree — temperature
  18. track — a song
  19. degree — from a university
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. stem — to come from
  24. perch — for a bird

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