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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: bear · degree · rest · perch · firm · prune · bat · racket

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rest — a break
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. degree — an amount
  10. firm — a company
  11. bear — the animal
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. firm — steady
  17. rest — what's left
  18. prune — to trim
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. firm — decided
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bat — the animal

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