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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. drill — army training
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. kid — to tease
  6. degree — temperature
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. kid — child
  9. race — humankind
  10. foot — a measure
  11. race — a contest
  12. drill — the tool
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. race — the arms race
  17. drill — a practice
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. prune — to trim
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. degree — from a university
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. degree — an amount

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