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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: bear · pitch · club · root · hand · vault · prune · degree

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. prune — to trim
  3. degree — from a university
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. club — for dancing
  7. root — the cause
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. club — a group
  11. bear — the animal
  12. club — for golf
  13. degree — an amount
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. prune — to trim
  16. vault — a safe
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. hand — help
  19. root — of a plant
  20. bear — the animal
  21. degree — temperature
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. root — of a word
  24. pitch — completely

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