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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. degree — an amount
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. degree — from a university
  5. charge — electricity
  6. branch — a division
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. track — a path
  9. pop — soda
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. degree — temperature
  12. prune — to trim
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. charge — in control
  15. pop — to visit
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. charge — a price
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. track — a song
  23. pop — music
  24. track — to keep track

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