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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: degree · bound · net · rush · march · craft · prune · deal

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. net — in sport
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. net — after costs
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bound — tied together
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. degree — from a university
  13. deal — to handle
  14. march — music
  15. bound — obliged
  16. degree — an amount
  17. net — for catching
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. degree — temperature
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bound — certain
  23. prune — to trim
  24. craft — boats

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