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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: bowl · press · tube · degree · bass · court · perch · arm

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. press — a publisher
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bass — low music
  5. press — to push
  6. degree — an amount
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. tube — a container
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. degree — temperature
  13. tube — the underground
  14. court — for sport
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. degree — from a university
  18. court — of a king
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. court — of law
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bowl — a dish

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