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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 120 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: temple · bound · content · prune · spell · rash · suit · degree

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — the amount
  3. bound — obliged
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bound — certain
  6. suit — to fit
  7. suit — in cards
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. degree — temperature
  10. spell — letters
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. suit — clothes
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. degree — from a university
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bound — tied together
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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