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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: bore · degree · plane · chest · swing · perch · rock · deal

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. swing — music
  3. chest — of your body
  4. deal — to handle
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — temperature
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. degree — from a university
  12. plane — a tool
  13. rock — music
  14. bore — to tire
  15. rock — a stone
  16. chest — of your body
  17. swing — in golf
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. chest — a box
  20. swing — to play on
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bore — to drill
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rock — to move gently

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