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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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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: degree · trunk · pop · fine · can · game · perch · dip

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. fine — high quality
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. can — a tin
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. degree — an amount
  12. can — to be able to
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. can — a tin
  17. dip — to sink
  18. pop — music
  19. degree — temperature
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fine — all right
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. degree — from a university
  24. game — wild animals

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