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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: squash · degree · staff · leaves · field · prune · mate · key

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. mate — a partner
  5. staff — employees
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. degree — temperature
  8. key — for a lock
  9. squash — to crush
  10. key — the most important part
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. degree — an amount
  13. field — farmland
  14. squash — the sport
  15. mate — a friend
  16. prune — to trim
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. key — in music
  19. prune — to trim
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. field — for sport
  22. degree — from a university
  23. mate — to breed
  24. field — a subject

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