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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: perch · pit · lash · ground · degree · net · trunk · staff

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. pit — in a race
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. pit — a hole
  6. staff — a stick
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. degree — temperature
  9. ground — the earth
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — an amount
  12. ground — a position
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. net — after costs
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. net — for catching
  17. staff — employees
  18. ground — crushed
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. staff — employees
  21. net — in sport
  22. perch — the fish
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  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