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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 116 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: fork · band · drill · degree · perch · fine · clip · calf

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. drill — a practice
  3. band — a ring
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. drill — the tool
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. perch — the fish
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. degree — temperature
  11. drill — army training
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. clip — to cut
  15. band — a music group
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. degree — an amount
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — for paper
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fine — high quality
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fine — all right

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