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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 120 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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. degree — temperature
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. file — a document
  6. craft — a skill
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. file — a line of people
  9. object — to protest
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. perch — the fish
  12. object — a thing
  13. craft — boats
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. file — a tool
  17. tube — the underground
  18. object — an aim
  19. rock — a stone
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rock — music
  22. kid — to tease
  23. degree — from a university
  24. tube — a container

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