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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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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: safe · ground · perch · degree · scale · trunk · rock · bass

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bass — the fish
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. ground — crushed
  8. degree — an amount
  9. ground — the earth
  10. degree — from a university
  11. scale — in music
  12. ground — a position
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. scale — size or range
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. rock — music
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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