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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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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: snap · can · calf · prune · mug · cell · degree · perch

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  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. cell — a phone
  3. can — to be able to
  4. mug — a cup
  5. can — a tin
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. degree — an amount
  9. cell — in biology
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mug — to rob
  14. degree — temperature
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mug — a face
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. can — a tin
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. calf — a young animal
  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