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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: degree · pitch · root · land · perch · pitcher · lean · mug

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. root — of a word
  4. lean — to bend
  5. root — of a plant
  6. land — to come down
  7. lean — thin
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. land — a country
  10. root — the cause
  11. pitch — completely
  12. mug — a cup
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. degree — from a university
  16. mug — a face
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. perch — the fish
  19. land — ground
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — an amount

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