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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. squash — the sport
  3. degree — an amount
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. degree — temperature
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rock — music
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. saw — the tool
  11. degree — from a university
  12. rock — a stone
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. rash — a series
  15. squash — to crush
  16. mug — a cup
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mug — to rob
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. saw — the tool
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mug — a face

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