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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. season — in sport
  3. bank — for money
  4. ball — a dance
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. prune — to trim
  7. degree — temperature
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bank — for money
  10. season — of the year
  11. roll — a list
  12. mark — a grade
  13. degree — from a university
  14. mark — a trace
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bank — of a river
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. ball — a great time
  23. roll — a cake
  24. wound — an injury

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