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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. tube — a container
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. shower — to wash
  8. tube — the underground
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. mug — to rob
  12. shower — rain
  13. mug — a cup
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — temperature
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mug — a face
  20. branch — a division
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. degree — from a university

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