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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: foot · root · content · plane · perch · row · rest · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — from a university
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. degree — an amount
  5. rest — what's left
  6. root — of a word
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — happy
  12. perch — the fish
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. root — of a plant
  16. row — to paddle
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. foot — a measure
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. plane — a tool
  23. row — a line
  24. root — the cause

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