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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: jam · bear · degree · leaves · march · clip · can · perch

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. march — the month
  5. bear — the animal
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. clip — a video
  8. can — a tin
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. clip — to cut
  12. march — the month
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. degree — from a university
  15. march — music
  16. clip — for paper
  17. can — a tin
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. degree — temperature
  23. can — to be able to
  24. perch — for a bird

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