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

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. degree — from a university
  3. mug — a face
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. degree — temperature
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. mug — a cup
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. game — a match
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mug — to rob
  18. bass — low music
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. degree — an amount
  23. game — wild animals
  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