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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: degree · scale · bass · dip · capital · perch · stock · bore

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bore — to drill
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bass — low music
  8. perch — the fish
  9. degree — temperature
  10. stock — shares
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bore — to tire
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — money
  18. stock — goods
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bass — the fish
  23. scale — in music
  24. capital — a big letter

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