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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: prune · degree · pound · chair · bass · tube · craft · season

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. degree — an amount
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bass — the fish
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pound — a weight
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a skill
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. season — of the year
  13. bass — low music
  14. chair — a leader
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — in sport
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. degree — from a university
  21. tube — a container
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. tube — in a tire

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