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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: degree · racket · nail · wake · perch · land · last · can

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. can — a tin
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. last — final
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. degree — from a university
  9. land — ground
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. land — to come down
  12. last — to go on
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. land — a country
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. can — to be able to
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. last — finally
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. racket — for tennis

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