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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: hand · lean · ball · straw · bore · degree · deal · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — temperature
  4. hand — help
  5. bore — to drill
  6. degree — an amount
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. prune — to trim
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. prune — to trim
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — to handle
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to tire
  16. lean — to bend
  17. ball — a great time
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. hand — in cards
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to rest against

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