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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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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: cell · degree · wind · pass · cap · bark · perch · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. perch — the fish
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a lid
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pass — a permit
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bark — to shout
  14. cell — a phone
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. cell — in biology
  17. degree — temperature
  18. wind — moving air
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cap — a hat
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — to spend time

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