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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: capital · degree · prune · lean · rash · mug · rush · mark

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mark — a trace
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mug — a face
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. rash — hasty
  10. mark — a grade
  11. capital — money
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. lean — to bend
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rash — a series
  20. prune — to trim
  21. degree — from a university
  22. lean — thin
  23. capital — a city
  24. mug — to rob

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