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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 · prune · net · key · stem · lean · mug · bound

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. degree — an amount
  3. lean — thin
  4. mug — to rob
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. net — after costs
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bound — tied together
  11. lean — to bend
  12. key — the most important part
  13. degree — from a university
  14. net — in sport
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. key — for a lock
  19. stem — to come from
  20. degree — temperature
  21. mug — a cup
  22. key — in music
  23. mug — a face
  24. prune — the fruit

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