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

Word bank: degree · stand · wind · pit · land · hide · cell · prune

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pit — in a race
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. prune — to trim
  6. degree — from a university
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. degree — an amount
  10. land — a country
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pit — a hole
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. land — to come down
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. stand — to bear
  20. land — ground
  21. wind — moving air
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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