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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: spring · prune · nail · craft · degree · wound · pop · safe

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. degree — from a university
  3. wound — an injury
  4. spring — a coil
  5. wound — an injury
  6. degree — temperature
  7. craft — a skill
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pop — music
  10. craft — boats
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. pop — soda
  15. spring — of water
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. spring — the season
  21. pop — to visit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. degree — an amount
  24. craft — a handicraft

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