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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. degree — from a university
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wound — an injury
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cell — in biology
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. craft — boats
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wound — an injury
  15. craft — a skill
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. cell — a phone
  19. degree — an amount
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. degree — temperature
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — of ice

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