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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bank — of a river
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wind — moving air
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wind — moving air
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — temperature
  9. toast — bread
  10. degree — an amount
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. chair — a leader
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — the cause
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bank — for money
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. root — of a plant
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bank — for money
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. prune — to trim

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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