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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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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. drill — army training
  3. can — a tin
  4. degree — an amount
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — of a word
  9. scale — in music
  10. degree — temperature
  11. can — a tin
  12. cold — not warm
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cold — an illness
  15. perch — the fish
  16. drill — the tool
  17. lie — to recline
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. drill — a practice
  20. degree — from a university
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. can — to be able 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