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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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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: season · trunk · fork · bear · rock · pitch · degree · prune

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bear — the animal
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pitch — completely
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fork — in a road
  10. degree — temperature
  11. season — of the year
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rock — music
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rock — a stone
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. season — in sport
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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