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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 120 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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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 · dip · pit · board · degree · bear · cap · wax

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. cap — a hat
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. pit — in a race
  7. board — a committee
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. dip — to sink
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. degree — temperature
  15. board — to get on
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. degree — from a university
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a lid
  24. perch — the fish

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