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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: perch · bass · firm · squash · patient · branch · degree · row

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bass — the fish
  5. perch — the fish
  6. branch — a division
  7. firm — a company
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bass — low music
  13. squash — the sport
  14. firm — steady
  15. degree — an amount
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. row — a line
  20. firm — decided
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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