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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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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 · branch · perch · firm · toast · court · wave · arm

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. court — of a king
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. court — for sport
  10. degree — an amount
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. firm — a company
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. court — of law
  18. perch — the fish
  19. firm — steady
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. toast — bread
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. degree — temperature
  24. firm — decided

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