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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. lean — thin
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. lean — to bend
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. lie — to recline
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. prune — to trim
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bank — of a river
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bank — for money
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. degree — an amount
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bank — for money

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