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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.

Make a worksheet

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: rush · perch · land · degree · root · straw · ruler · current

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. perch — the fish
  5. current — of water
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. degree — an amount
  10. root — of a plant
  11. land — a country
  12. current — electric
  13. land — ground
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. current — happening now
  16. degree — temperature
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. root — the cause
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. land — to come down
  22. degree — from a university
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. root — of a word

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