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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · chest · board · stick · date · scale · prune · shower

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. shower — rain
  6. degree — temperature
  7. board — to get on
  8. shower — to wash
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. degree — an amount
  14. chest — of your body
  15. scale — size or range
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. board — a committee
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. chest — a box
  24. degree — from a university

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