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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 · degree · stem · vault · pit · lean · net · current

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pit — a hole
  3. net — after costs
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — an amount
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. current — happening now
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. lean — to bend
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — in a race
  15. perch — the fish
  16. current — of water
  17. vault — a safe
  18. net — in sport
  19. lean — thin
  20. current — electric
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. net — for catching
  23. degree — temperature
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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