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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: date · prune · degree · lie · capital · roll · press · plane

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. press — to push
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. degree — temperature
  6. prune — to trim
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. capital — money
  11. prune — to trim
  12. lie — to recline
  13. roll — a cake
  14. press — a publisher
  15. degree — an amount
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. plane — a tool
  18. capital — a city
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. degree — from a university
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. press — newspapers

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