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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · present · rest · bulb · rash · perch · pitcher · row

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rash — hasty
  4. row — a line
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — from a university
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. present — there
  11. rash — a series
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bulb — for light
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rest — a break
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — the time now

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