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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 120 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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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: row · charge · land · perch · ground · dip · bulb · degree

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  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. perch — the fish
  2. row — a line
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. charge — in control
  5. bulb — for light
  6. dip — to sink
  7. land — ground
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. charge — a price
  11. degree — temperature
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. land — to come down
  15. row — to paddle
  16. ground — a position
  17. degree — an amount
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. land — a country
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bulb — for light
  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