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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 116 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: sharp · spring · ruler · firm · degree · perch · bear · capital

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. degree — temperature
  3. firm — decided
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. degree — from a university
  6. capital — money
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bear — the animal
  9. spring — the season
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. perch — the fish
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. sharp — clever
  17. firm — a company
  18. capital — a city
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. spring — of water
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. spring — a coil
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bear — the animal

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