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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: trunk · tube · pit · prune · degree · bound · game · racket

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bound — obliged
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bound — certain
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. prune — to trim
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bound — tied together
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. degree — from a university
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. degree — temperature
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — the underground
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pit — a hole
  23. prune — to trim
  24. game — a match

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