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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: deal · wave · capital · season · perch · mine · track · degree

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  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. deal — to handle
  2. perch — the fish
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. track — a song
  7. season — of the year
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mine — for digging
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. track — a path
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. season — in sport
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. capital — money
  23. deal — an agreement
  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