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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: craft · lie · degree · perch · ground · prune · saw · deal

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. ground — crushed
  3. degree — temperature
  4. deal — to handle
  5. saw — the tool
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. degree — an amount
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — the earth
  10. prune — to trim
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. craft — a skill
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. degree — from a university
  18. perch — the fish
  19. lie — to recline
  20. prune — to trim
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. deal — an agreement

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