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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: straw · wind · wound · mark · degree · nail · suit · prune

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wound — an injury
  7. prune — to trim
  8. suit — in cards
  9. prune — to trim
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. wind — moving air
  14. suit — clothes
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mark — a trace
  17. suit — to fit
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. wind — moving air
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mark — a grade
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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