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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. last — finally
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. field — farmland
  7. mark — a grade
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — temperature
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. mark — a trace
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. last — to go on
  14. board — to get on
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. board — a committee
  17. field — for sport
  18. pop — soda
  19. degree — an amount
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. last — final
  22. deal — to handle
  23. field — a subject
  24. deal — a big deal

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