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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 120 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: ground · net · perch · branch · degree · fan · foot · wake

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. foot — a measure
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. net — after costs
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. branch — a division
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. degree — an amount
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. degree — temperature
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. perch — the fish
  15. ground — a position
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — a trail
  18. ground — the earth
  19. degree — from a university
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. ground — crushed
  24. branch — of a bank

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