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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 124 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  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. degree — temperature
  2. wound — an injury
  3. kick — in football
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rock — music
  7. stem — to come from
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. perch — the fish
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. degree — from a university
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — a thrill
  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