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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 124 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. degree — temperature
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lie — to recline
  6. tube — a container
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. degree — an amount
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — to sink
  14. degree — from a university
  15. stock — goods
  16. season — in sport
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. prune — to trim
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stock — shares
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — the underground
  24. stock — a soup base

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