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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. bear — the animal
  2. degree — from a university
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. object — an aim
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. object — to protest
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. degree — temperature
  13. perch — the fish
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bear — the animal
  20. plane — a tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. object — a thing
  23. saw — the tool
  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