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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: spell · degree · clip · prune · wave · pitch · rash · key

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. key — for a lock
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. spell — a short time
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — in music
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. spell — magic
  19. rash — a series
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. rash — hasty
  22. clip — to cut
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. prune — to trim

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