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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: degree · object · dip · kid · stem · lie · last · prune

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. object — an aim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. degree — from a university
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. object — a thing
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. prune — to trim
  9. object — to protest
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. last — finally
  14. degree — temperature
  15. lie — to recline
  16. last — to go on
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. kid — to tease
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. dip — to sink
  21. kid — child
  22. degree — an amount
  23. stem — to come from
  24. last — final

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