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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.

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: perch · shower · degree · key · bark · bear · mate · current

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. shower — to wash
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — a partner
  4. current — electric
  5. key — for a lock
  6. perch — the fish
  7. shower — rain
  8. bark — to shout
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. key — in music
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. current — of water
  16. key — the most important part
  17. current — happening now
  18. bear — the animal
  19. degree — from a university
  20. mate — to breed
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bear — the animal
  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