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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · scale · degree · pound · track · perch · band · saw

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. band — a music group
  4. perch — the fish
  5. band — a ring
  6. saw — the tool
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. degree — an amount
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. track — a path
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. degree — from a university
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. scale — in music
  19. track — a song
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. track — to keep track
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. band — a rubber band

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