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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: cabinet · degree · pound · perch · branch · kid · wave · bore

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. degree — from a university
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bore — to tire
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pound — a weight
  11. degree — temperature
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. branch — a division
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bore — to drill
  17. perch — the fish
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. degree — an amount
  24. kid — child

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