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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 116 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. pop — music
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. degree — an amount
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. degree — temperature
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. rule — government
  12. stem — to come from
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. pop — soda
  15. board — a committee
  16. prune — to trim
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — to rob
  20. pop — to visit
  21. board — to get on
  22. mug — a face
  23. degree — from a university
  24. trunk — of a tree

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