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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 116 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: plane · cue · spring · bound · cabinet · prune · row · degree

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. spring — of water
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bound — obliged
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. degree — from a university
  10. spring — a coil
  11. degree — temperature
  12. cue — a signal
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. spring — the season
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. prune — to trim
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bound — certain
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bound — tied together
  22. plane — a tool
  23. cue — a hint
  24. row — a line

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