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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: object · press · degree · net · ruler · pound · branch · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. degree — from a university
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. object — a thing
  5. branch — a division
  6. object — an aim
  7. press — a publisher
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. press — to push
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. degree — temperature
  12. prune — to trim
  13. object — to protest
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. degree — an amount
  18. net — in sport
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. press — newspapers
  23. pound — a weight
  24. prune — the fruit

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