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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. degree — temperature
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. degree — an amount
  5. date — the fruit
  6. bank — for money
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fall — to drop
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bank — for money
  14. prune — to trim
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. degree — from a university
  18. fall — the season
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bank — of a river
  21. kick — in football
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — obliged

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