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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: prune · bore · deal · hide · pop · degree · bank · cell

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pop — soda
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. prune — to trim
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pop — music
  12. bore — to drill
  13. cell — in biology
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bore — to tire
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. pop — to visit
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bank — for money
  21. cell — a phone
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. deal — to handle

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