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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. prune — to trim
  3. swing — in golf
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. shower — to wash
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. degree — from a university
  9. cell — a phone
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. degree — temperature
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — an aim
  17. swing — to play on
  18. degree — an amount
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. shower — rain
  22. swing — music
  23. object — to protest
  24. calf — a young animal

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