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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rest — what's left
  3. object — a thing
  4. degree — temperature
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rest — a break
  7. branch — a division
  8. degree — an amount
  9. fall — to drop
  10. chip — for betting
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rest — what's left
  14. degree — from a university
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — a container
  18. chip — to eat
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. fall — the season
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. tube — the underground
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — an aim

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