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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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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: prune · tear · degree · fork · bay · mug · coach · bowl

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. mug — a cup
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. degree — from a university
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. prune — to trim
  7. degree — an amount
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. mug — a face
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. tear — to rip
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mug — to rob
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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