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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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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: nail · degree · cue · perch · mine · wake · object · stick

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. degree — temperature
  3. mine — for digging
  4. cue — a signal
  5. perch — the fish
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. object — an aim
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. object — to protest
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. cue — a hint
  12. object — a thing
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wake — a trail
  16. degree — an amount
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. cue — for pool
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. degree — from a university
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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