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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. rush — hurry
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. scale — size or range
  12. degree — an amount
  13. mine — for digging
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stand — to bear
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. rest — a break
  23. scale — in music
  24. stand — for spectators

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