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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: scale · date · prune · cabinet · bear · hide · safe · degree

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bear — the animal
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. prune — to trim
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. prune — to trim
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. scale — in music
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. date — the fruit
  18. degree — an amount
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bear — the animal
  24. hide — animal skin

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