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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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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: degree · suit · rest · perch · rule · last · root · wound

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. root — of a plant
  3. rest — what's left
  4. perch — the fish
  5. degree — from a university
  6. suit — clothes
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — government
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. last — final
  12. suit — to fit
  13. rest — a break
  14. root — the cause
  15. last — finally
  16. root — of a word
  17. degree — temperature
  18. wound — an injury
  19. suit — in cards
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rule — a law
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. degree — an amount

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