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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 116 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: tear · prune · season · mouse · degree · rest · safe · fork

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. season — in sport
  4. rest — a break
  5. prune — to trim
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. degree — temperature
  8. rest — what's left
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. tear — to rip
  12. degree — from a university
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. fork — in a road
  16. prune — to trim
  17. season — of the year
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rest — what's left
  20. tear — from crying
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fork — a garden tool

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