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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: bank · lash · band · degree · stick · perch · rest · stem

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bank — of a river
  3. stem — to come from
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. degree — from a university
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. perch — the fish
  10. band — a ring
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. rest — what's left
  13. degree — temperature
  14. band — a music group
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — for money
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rest — a break
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rest — what's left

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