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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. mark — a grade
  4. degree — temperature
  5. pop — to visit
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. degree — an amount
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pop — soda
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. tear — from crying
  12. degree — from a university
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mine — for digging
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. tear — from crying
  21. prune — to trim
  22. tear — to rip
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. pop — music

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