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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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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: plane · degree · snap · perch · bore · calf · straw · drill

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  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. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. degree — from a university
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bore — to drill
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. drill — the tool
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. degree — temperature
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. perch — the fish
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. drill — army training
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bore — to tire
  21. plane — a tool
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. degree — an amount
  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