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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: mark · season · spring · cue · perch · rash · degree · wave

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. spring — a coil
  4. perch — the fish
  5. season — in sport
  6. cue — for pool
  7. rash — hasty
  8. spring — of water
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. season — of the year
  12. degree — an amount
  13. spring — the season
  14. mark — a grade
  15. degree — temperature
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. cue — a signal
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. cue — a hint
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mark — a trace
  24. rash — a series

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