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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 · mate · cue · toast · prune · bear · spell · deal

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — a signal
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. mate — a friend
  7. toast — bread
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bear — the animal
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bear — the animal
  13. spell — letters
  14. mate — to breed
  15. deal — to handle
  16. degree — temperature
  17. spell — magic
  18. cue — for pool
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. degree — an amount
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. degree — from a university
  23. spell — a short time
  24. deal — a big deal

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