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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. chest — of your body
  3. suit — clothes
  4. bank — for money
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. object — a thing
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. degree — from a university
  12. suit — in cards
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pop — music
  16. degree — temperature
  17. suit — to fit
  18. bank — for money
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bank — of a river
  21. object — an aim
  22. chest — of your body
  23. object — to protest
  24. chest — a box

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