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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 120 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: root · dip · degree · wound · scale · prune · sharp · nail

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. scale — size or range
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. prune — to trim
  8. root — of a word
  9. wound — an injury
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. prune — to trim
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. degree — from a university
  14. root — of a plant
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. degree — temperature
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to sink
  20. root — the cause
  21. wound — an injury
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. degree — an amount
  24. nail — for a hammer

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