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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: mug · swing · degree · fall · foot · bound · track · prune

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mug — a cup
  4. fall — to drop
  5. track — to keep track
  6. fall — the season
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. foot — a measure
  9. mug — a face
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bound — certain
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — to play on
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. degree — temperature
  16. mug — to rob
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. fall — to drop
  19. track — a path
  20. bound — tied together
  21. swing — in golf
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  24. track — a song

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