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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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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: degree · stick · racket · hide · cap · prune · net · squash

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. degree — from a university
  8. squash — the sport
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. cap — a lid
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cap — a hat
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. degree — temperature
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cap — of ice
  22. prune — to trim
  23. degree — an amount
  24. hide — to keep secret

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