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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 116 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: saw · wake · prune · pound · degree · bore · mate · snap

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bore — to drill
  3. mate — a partner
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — an amount
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. degree — from a university
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pound — a weight
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. prune — to trim
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to tire
  16. snap — to click
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a friend
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wake — a trail
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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