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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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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: prune · staff · pass · bore · degree · lean · deal · rule

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. degree — an amount
  4. rule — a law
  5. staff — employees
  6. deal — to handle
  7. prune — to trim
  8. lean — to bend
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. staff — a stick
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — to drill
  16. rule — government
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. staff — employees
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. degree — from a university
  21. lean — thin
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. degree — temperature

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