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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: perch · fall · degree · present · rock · stem · date · court

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fall — the season
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. degree — temperature
  8. date — the fruit
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — an amount
  11. fall — to drop
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rock — a stone
  15. court — of law
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — there
  19. rock — music
  20. present — the time now
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  24. perch — the fish

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