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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: shower · plane · degree · rash · jam · perch · branch · root

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. perch — the fish
  4. degree — temperature
  5. root — of a word
  6. plane — a tool
  7. shower — rain
  8. root — the cause
  9. degree — an amount
  10. rash — hasty
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. branch — a division
  20. root — of a plant
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. rash — a series
  24. degree — from a university

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