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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. prune — to trim
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bore — to drill
  5. degree — from a university
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bank — for money
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. last — final
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bore — to tire
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bank — of a river
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bank — for money
  20. wind — moving air
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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