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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 116 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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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: wound · stick · squash · saw · spell · cabinet · degree · perch

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wound — an injury
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. squash — to crush
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. wound — an injury
  8. spell — magic
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. degree — an amount
  11. squash — the sport
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. saw — the tool
  15. spell — a short time
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. spell — letters
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. perch — the fish
  20. saw — the tool
  21. degree — from a university
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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