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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.

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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: degree · pitcher · board · rule · hand · scale · prune · bear

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. scale — size or range
  8. rule — government
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bear — the animal
  13. board — a committee
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bear — the animal
  16. prune — to trim
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. hand — help
  19. board — to get on
  20. scale — in music
  21. degree — temperature
  22. rule — a law
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. degree — from a university

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