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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rock — music
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. degree — from a university
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. root — of a plant
  8. wound — an injury
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. wound — an injury
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mark — a trace
  13. degree — temperature
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. can — a tin
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. degree — an amount
  20. can — to be able to
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — the cause
  23. can — a tin
  24. rock — a stone

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