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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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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: wake · nail · degree · bat · perch · root · current · present

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. current — happening now
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. present — there
  7. present — the time now
  8. current — electric
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. root — of a plant
  12. degree — an amount
  13. root — the cause
  14. present — a gift
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. current — of water
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bat — the animal
  20. wake — a trail
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. root — of a word
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bat — for baseball

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