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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: root · safe · perch · wake · stand · face · clip · degree

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. root — of a plant
  3. degree — an amount
  4. face — to point toward
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. face — part of the head
  9. degree — temperature
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wake — a trail
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. root — of a word
  15. perch — the fish
  16. root — the cause
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stand — to bear
  20. clip — to cut
  21. degree — from a university
  22. face — to confront
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wake — before a funeral

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