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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 ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stand — to bear
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — temperature
  8. mate — a friend
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. track — a song
  12. prune — to trim
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. mate — a partner
  16. rash — a series
  17. scale — in music
  18. track — to keep track
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. mate — to breed
  21. scale — size or range
  22. degree — an amount
  23. track — a path
  24. march — the month

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