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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.

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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: scale · wound · deal · pit · lash · perch · degree · bass

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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. deal — a big deal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. scale — in music
  13. perch — the fish
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. deal — to handle
  16. pit — a hole
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — from a university
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. scale — size or range
  23. perch — for a bird
  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