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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. net — after costs
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wound — an injury
  6. net — for catching
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bear — the animal
  9. degree — an amount
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. net — in sport
  14. present — a gift
  15. degree — from a university
  16. rock — a stone
  17. present — there
  18. prune — to trim
  19. chair — a leader
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. present — the time now
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. rock — music

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