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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 120 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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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: safe · prune · wind · stem · leaves · pound · snap · degree

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. stem — to come from
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. prune — to trim
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. degree — temperature
  15. prune — to trim
  16. snap — to click
  17. pound — a weight
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. degree — an amount
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pound — for dogs

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