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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: chest · racket · spring · degree · prune · safe · last · dip

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. spring — of water
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. degree — from a university
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. degree — temperature
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. last — final
  9. spring — a coil
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. chest — of your body
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. prune — to trim
  14. last — to go on
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. dip — to sink
  17. last — finally
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. chest — a box
  21. spring — the season
  22. degree — an amount
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. prune — to trim

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