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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. rush — hurry
  3. degree — temperature
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. stem — to come from
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — for betting
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. chip — to eat
  17. present — the time now
  18. degree — from a university
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. present — a gift
  21. fine — all right
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. present — there
  24. degree — an amount

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