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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. prune — to trim
  3. degree — an amount
  4. hand — help
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bear — the animal
  7. row — a line
  8. present — a gift
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. degree — temperature
  11. mug — a face
  12. prune — to trim
  13. suit — clothes
  14. present — there
  15. suit — to fit
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mug — a cup
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. suit — in cards
  22. bear — the animal
  23. degree — from a university
  24. present — the time now

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