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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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Word bank
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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. drill — the tool
  3. degree — an amount
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. field — farmland
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. field — for sport
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. degree — temperature
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bound — tied together
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — obliged
  19. drill — a practice
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mug — to rob
  22. field — a subject
  23. degree — from a university
  24. drill — army training

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