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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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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: nail · season · perch · spring · saw · degree · firm · leaves

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. spring — the season
  5. saw — the tool
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. perch — the fish
  9. degree — an amount
  10. season — in sport
  11. degree — from a university
  12. firm — steady
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. firm — a company
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. firm — decided
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. saw — the tool
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. degree — temperature
  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