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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: row · clip · degree · lean · rock · prune · perch · fan

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — thin
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — temperature
  7. rock — music
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. degree — from a university
  14. prune — to trim
  15. row — to paddle
  16. clip — a video
  17. perch — the fish
  18. row — a line
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. clip — for paper
  21. lean — to bend
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. rock — a stone
  24. clip — to cut

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