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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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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: last · leaves · mouse · degree · bound · prune · rush · stand

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. last — finally
  4. degree — temperature
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. last — to go on
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. prune — to trim
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. degree — an amount
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. degree — from a university
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stand — to bear
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. leaves — of a tree

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