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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: jam · leaves · mine · perch · race · wake · degree · root

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. race — a contest
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. root — of a word
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. perch — the fish
  10. wake — a trail
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mine — for digging
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — the cause
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. race — humankind
  18. degree — temperature
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. degree — an amount
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. race — the arms race
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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