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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 120 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: wake · degree · prune · stick · temple · safe · hide · wound

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. prune — to trim
  18. degree — temperature
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wake — a trail
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. temple — a place of worship

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