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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.

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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 · fork · clip · current · pit · bowl · lean · perch

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. current — of water
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. current — electric
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. degree — from a university
  10. lean — to bend
  11. degree — an amount
  12. lean — thin
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. current — happening now
  17. pit — a hole
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. clip — a video
  21. fork — in a road
  22. pit — in a race
  23. clip — for paper
  24. degree — temperature

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