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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.

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: rush · degree · craft · game · ground · can · spring · perch

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. degree — an amount
  3. perch — the fish
  4. craft — a skill
  5. spring — of water
  6. ground — the earth
  7. rush — hurry
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. spring — a coil
  10. degree — from a university
  11. spring — the season
  12. craft — boats
  13. ground — crushed
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. game — a match
  19. can — a tin
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. ground — a position
  22. game — wild animals
  23. can — a tin
  24. degree — temperature

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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