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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: wave · prune · rush · jam · bowl · saw · degree · key

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. key — in music
  3. degree — from a university
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. degree — an amount
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. prune — to trim
  12. degree — temperature
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. prune — to trim
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. key — the most important part
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rush — hurry
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bowl — to roll

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