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

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. degree — temperature
  3. cap — a lid
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spell — letters
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. cap — a hat
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. degree — from a university
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. degree — an amount
  22. spell — a short time
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. prune — to trim

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