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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. degree — from a university
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. perch — the fish
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. foot — a measure
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bass — the fish
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a ring
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. band — a music group
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. plane — a tool
  24. degree — temperature

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