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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. suit — to fit
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. suit — in cards
  7. perch — the fish
  8. deal — to handle
  9. march — the month
  10. spring — of water
  11. march — the month
  12. degree — an amount
  13. spring — the season
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. degree — temperature
  18. suit — clothes
  19. spring — a coil
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. can — a tin
  23. march — music
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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