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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: bank · plane · calf · face · straw · perch · degree · rush

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. plane — a tool
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. face — to confront
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. degree — from a university
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bank — for money
  16. rush — hurry
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bank — for money
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to point toward
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bank — of a river
  23. perch — the fish
  24. degree — an amount

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