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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 120 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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Word bank
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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: perch · prune · foot · press · spell · row · chip · degree

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. press — a publisher
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. degree — an amount
  5. prune — to trim
  6. press — newspapers
  7. degree — from a university
  8. row — a line
  9. spell — magic
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. row — to paddle
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — letters
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. degree — temperature
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. perch — the fish
  19. press — to push
  20. prune — to trim
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — for betting
  23. foot — a measure
  24. perch — for a bird

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