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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: fine · degree · perch · object · foot · chest · stem · bear

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. object — an aim
  3. foot — a measure
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bear — the animal
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — a box
  8. stem — to come from
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — temperature
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chest — of your body
  14. object — to protest
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. degree — an amount
  17. object — a thing
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. fine — high quality
  21. perch — the fish
  22. fine — all right
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bear — to put up with

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