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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.

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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 · kid · bass · rock · bat · prune · roll · rest

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. roll — a list
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bass — the fish
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. rest — what's left
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rock — music
  19. prune — to trim
  20. kid — child
  21. rest — a break
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. degree — an amount

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