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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. degree — temperature
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. content — happy
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. date — the fruit
  11. fine — all right
  12. prune — to trim
  13. degree — an amount
  14. content — the amount
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. press — to push
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — newspapers
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. prune — to trim
  23. degree — from a university
  24. content — videos and posts

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