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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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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: perch · toast · pound · present · lean · saw · branch · degree

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. degree — temperature
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. lean — thin
  5. degree — an amount
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. toast — bread
  9. pound — a weight
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. branch — a division
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. saw — the tool
  15. present — there
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. present — the time now
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. perch — the fish
  24. present — a gift

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