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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 116 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. degree — from a university
  3. saw — the tool
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. degree — an amount
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — in music
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. fine — high quality
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pop — soda
  22. degree — temperature
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. fine — all right

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