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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bank — for money
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — temperature
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. club — for dancing
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bank — for money
  13. club — a group
  14. mug — a cup
  15. rush — hurry
  16. mug — a face
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bank — of a river
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a music group
  21. club — for golf
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. mug — to rob

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