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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 120 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: saw · mouse · prune · scale · cap · rush · degree · perch

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. degree — an amount
  4. scale — size or range
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. cap — of ice
  7. scale — in music
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rush — hurry
  12. prune — to trim
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. saw — the tool
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. degree — from a university
  17. perch — the fish
  18. degree — temperature
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cap — a hat
  21. saw — the tool
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. mouse — for a computer

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