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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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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. degree — temperature
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. degree — an amount
  8. tube — a container
  9. prune — to trim
  10. toast — bread
  11. lean — thin
  12. spell — magic
  13. lean — to bend
  14. tube — the underground
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. spell — a short time
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. degree — from a university
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. prune — to trim
  24. temple — side of the head

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