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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: rest · board · prune · sharp · field · mug · degree · last

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. field — a subject
  3. mug — a face
  4. degree — from a university
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. last — finally
  7. field — for sport
  8. prune — to trim
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. board — to get on
  11. degree — an amount
  12. board — a committee
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. field — farmland
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. last — to go on
  18. rest — what's left
  19. degree — temperature
  20. last — final
  21. rest — a break
  22. sharp — clever
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mug — a cup

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