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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: tube · safe · degree · chair · saw · prune · content · rule

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. prune — to trim
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — the underground
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. prune — to trim
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. degree — an amount
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. content — happy
  20. content — the amount
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — a law
  23. degree — from a university
  24. chair — a leader

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