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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. degree — temperature
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rush — hurry
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. squash — the sport
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — from a university
  23. squash — to crush
  24. rush — a thrill

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