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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 120 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: prune · current · stand · lash · degree · spring · pound · fall

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. spring — of water
  3. current — happening now
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. stand — to bear
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. current — electric
  11. spring — a coil
  12. prune — to trim
  13. current — of water
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pound — a weight
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. fall — the season
  24. spring — the season

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