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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bear — the animal
  3. degree — temperature
  4. field — farmland
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. kick — in football
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. degree — an amount
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. drill — a practice
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bear — the animal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. field — for sport
  18. prune — to trim
  19. field — a subject
  20. degree — from a university
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. drill — army training
  24. fan — to cool the air

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