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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: plane · degree · file · perch · safe · squash · wind · prune

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — temperature
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. prune — to trim
  10. file — a line of people
  11. degree — from a university
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. plane — a tool
  16. wind — moving air
  17. file — a document
  18. prune — to trim
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. squash — to crush
  21. perch — the fish
  22. squash — the sport
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. prune — the fruit

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