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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: bass · degree · wound · perch · lean · mug · craft · ball

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. lean — thin
  4. bass — the fish
  5. degree — an amount
  6. perch — the fish
  7. ball — a great time
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ball — a dance
  10. mug — to rob
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. mug — a cup
  14. craft — a skill
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. lean — to bend
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. mug — a face
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. craft — boats
  22. wound — an injury
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — from a university

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