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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: degree · wound · perch · cap · root · bowl · charge · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. perch — the fish
  3. cap — a hat
  4. root — of a word
  5. charge — in control
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. degree — from a university
  8. cap — a lid
  9. charge — electricity
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. charge — a price
  13. staff — a stick
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. cap — of ice
  16. degree — temperature
  17. wound — an injury
  18. root — the cause
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. staff — employees
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. root — of a plant
  24. perch — for a bird

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