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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. ground — crushed
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. prune — to trim
  5. tear — from crying
  6. ground — the earth
  7. degree — temperature
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — the underground
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. tear — to rip
  12. ground — a position
  13. prune — to trim
  14. degree — an amount
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. band — a ring
  17. tear — from crying
  18. degree — from a university
  19. staff — employees
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. band — a music group
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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