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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 120 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. degree — temperature
  4. file — a document
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. branch — a division
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. degree — from a university
  17. file — a tool
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. club — for golf
  20. file — a line of people
  21. club — for dancing
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. degree — an amount
  24. club — a group

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