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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fall — the season
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. chest — a box
  7. degree — temperature
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. board — a committee
  11. chest — of your body
  12. degree — from a university
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. field — for sport
  16. chest — of your body
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. prune — to trim
  19. field — a subject
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rash — hasty
  22. board — to get on
  23. field — farmland
  24. degree — an amount

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