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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: chest · prune · track · mark · rest · degree · bore · ground

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. degree — an amount
  3. rest — a break
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rest — what's left
  6. ground — the earth
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ground — a position
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bore — to drill
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. track — a song
  14. bore — to tire
  15. ground — crushed
  16. degree — from a university
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rest — what's left
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. mark — a grade
  21. degree — temperature
  22. track — a path
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. track — to keep track

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