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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: date · racket · pop · degree · face · spell · prune · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. prune — to trim
  3. degree — from a university
  4. face — to confront
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pop — music
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. degree — temperature
  13. pop — to visit
  14. face — part of the head
  15. prune — to trim
  16. degree — an amount
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. spell — letters
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. face — to point toward
  22. spell — magic
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. pop — soda

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