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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 116 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. net — for catching
  3. kid — to tease
  4. prune — to trim
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. prune — to trim
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. mate — to breed
  16. degree — from a university
  17. field — a subject
  18. mate — a friend
  19. field — for sport
  20. mate — a partner
  21. field — farmland
  22. kid — child
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. degree — temperature

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