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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. degree — temperature
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. craft — a skill
  5. prune — to trim
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. degree — an amount
  10. prune — to trim
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. lean — to bend
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. mark — a trace
  15. band — a music group
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. degree — from a university
  18. band — a ring
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. mark — a grade
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. craft — boats
  24. lean — to rest against

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