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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. present — the time now
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. prune — to trim
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. spring — of water
  10. lean — thin
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. degree — an amount
  14. present — a gift
  15. spring — the season
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. lean — to bend
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. present — there
  21. spring — a coil
  22. kick — in football
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — from a university

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