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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: degree · race · capital · present · perch · mark · lean · bulb

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bulb — for light
  7. degree — an amount
  8. lean — to bend
  9. mark — a grade
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — a gift
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. degree — temperature
  15. race — humankind
  16. mark — a trace
  17. capital — a city
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. degree — from a university
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. lean — thin
  23. capital — money
  24. present — there

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