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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · chair · degree · prune · toast · pound

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. chair — a leader
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. toast — bread
  8. degree — temperature
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. pound — a weight
  14. degree — from a university
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. degree — an amount
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. prune — the fruit

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