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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 116 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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rock — music
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. degree — temperature
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. root — of a word
  11. scale — size or range
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. rock — a stone
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. root — the cause
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. root — of a plant
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. deal — to handle
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. deal — a big deal

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