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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · field · present · prune · mug · plane · bowl · degree

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mug — to rob
  4. present — a gift
  5. present — there
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — a cup
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. degree — temperature
  14. present — the time now
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. field — farmland
  24. degree — from a university

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