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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. prune — to trim
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. tear — to rip
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bound — tied together
  8. prune — to trim
  9. tear — from crying
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bound — obliged
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bound — certain
  14. degree — from a university
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. craft — a skill
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. tear — from crying
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  24. craft — boats

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