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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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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: ground · prune · kick · fall · dip · degree · cap · present

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — of ice
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. present — the time now
  7. dip — to sink
  8. fall — to drop
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ground — crushed
  11. degree — temperature
  12. present — there
  13. kick — in football
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — the earth
  16. degree — from a university
  17. fall — to drop
  18. degree — an amount
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. present — a gift
  21. cap — a lid
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fall — the season
  24. dip — a sauce

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