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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: present · kick · prune · chair · rock · leaves · wound · degree

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. rock — music
  4. prune — to trim
  5. present — the time now
  6. kick — in football
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. chair — a leader
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. prune — to trim
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. present — a gift
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. rock — a stone
  24. degree — from a university

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