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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bank — for money
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bank — for money
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. board — a committee
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. degree — an amount
  15. kid — to tease
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bank — of a river
  18. board — to get on
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. perch — the fish
  21. kid — child
  22. wax — to grow
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. degree — temperature

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