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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · perch · degree · trunk · ruler · race

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. degree — from a university
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. degree — an amount
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — the arms race
  11. cap — a lid
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. perch — the fish
  14. degree — temperature
  15. cap — of ice
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. cap — a hat

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