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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
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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: degree · perch · rash · lash · stem · scale · pit · rock

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  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. stem — a stem cell
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — an amount
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rock — music
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. stem — to come from
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pit — in a race
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. perch — the fish
  15. pit — a hole
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rock — a stone
  18. scale — in music
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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