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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: prune · cue · fall · sharp · branch · mouse · bowl · degree

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. fall — the season
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. branch — a division
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. degree — an amount
  9. fall — to drop
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. degree — temperature
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cue — a signal
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. cue — for pool
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. sharp — exactly

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