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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. degree — an amount
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. degree — temperature
  9. field — for sport
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. face — part of the head
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. charge — electricity
  15. face — to confront
  16. charge — a price
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. charge — in control
  20. field — a subject
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. face — to point toward
  23. field — farmland
  24. bulb — of a plant

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