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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. degree — an amount
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a line of people
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. squash — to crush
  7. degree — temperature
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fine — high quality
  10. squash — the sport
  11. file — a tool
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. degree — from a university
  14. fine — all right
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to click
  17. prune — to trim
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fine — a penalty

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