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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bound — tied together
  4. degree — from a university
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. spell — magic
  7. bank — for money
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bank — of a river
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bank — for money
  16. bound — certain
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. game — a match
  23. bound — obliged
  24. degree — temperature

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