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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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: plane · perch · wound · bark · fan · degree · swing · scale

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. perch — the fish
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. wound — an injury
  6. scale — size or range
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wound — an injury
  9. swing — music
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. degree — temperature
  14. plane — a tool
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. swing — in golf
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. degree — from a university
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. swing — to play on
  24. scale — in music

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