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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: pitch · degree · saw · prune · lean · cap · can · spring

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. saw — the tool
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. spring — the season
  6. can — to be able to
  7. pitch — completely
  8. prune — to trim
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. cap — a lid
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. prune — to trim
  17. lean — thin
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. cap — a hat
  23. lean — to bend
  24. pitch — a sports field

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