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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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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 · bowl · object · bank · cabinet · degree · roll · lie

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  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. degree — from a university
  2. object — a thing
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. roll — a cake
  5. object — to protest
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. roll — a list
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bank — of a river
  16. object — an aim
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bank — for money
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bank — for money
  22. perch — the fish
  23. roll — on a roll
  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