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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: tube · prune · bear · pound · pitch · degree · key · cell

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. cell — a phone
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. degree — temperature
  7. key — the most important part
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cell — in biology
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. tube — a container
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — in music
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. degree — from a university
  24. pound — a weight

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