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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.

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: nail · stem · face · degree · prune · game · squash · perch

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. squash — to crush
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. prune — to trim
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. game — a match
  11. face — to confront
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — part of the head
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. degree — an amount
  17. stem — to come from
  18. degree — from a university
  19. squash — the sport
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. prune — to trim
  23. game — wild animals
  24. perch — the fish

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