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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: fine · shower · arm · ground · perch · leaves · degree · bay

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. perch — the fish
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — rain
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. shower — to wash
  16. degree — from a university
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. ground — the earth
  19. fine — all right
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. degree — temperature
  23. ground — a position
  24. arm — a part of something

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