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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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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: degree · ground · bulb · prune · bear · cabinet · row · pit

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. pit — in a race
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bear — the animal
  8. degree — from a university
  9. ground — crushed
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bulb — for light
  15. ground — the earth
  16. row — a line
  17. prune — to trim
  18. row — to paddle
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pit — a hole
  23. prune — to trim
  24. row — a quarrel

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