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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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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: perch · wake · spell · bulb · chest · jam · degree · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. perch — the fish
  3. chest — of your body
  4. spell — magic
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. degree — an amount
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. spell — a short time
  13. chest — a box
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. wake — a trail
  17. spell — letters
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. chest — of your body
  24. degree — from a university

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