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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: bound · prune · pitcher · cabinet · cue · degree · pop · toast

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pop — soda
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. toast — bread
  6. pop — to visit
  7. cue — a hint
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. prune — to trim
  10. degree — an amount
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. pop — music
  13. degree — temperature
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bound — obliged
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — tied together
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. degree — from a university
  24. cue — for pool

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