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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: calf · bass · wake · press · degree · prune · pit · content

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. press — to push
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bass — low music
  5. press — newspapers
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pit — in a race
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. wake — a trail
  11. degree — an amount
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — temperature
  17. press — a publisher
  18. content — the amount
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — the fish
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. content — happy

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