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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: object · prune · suit · content · degree · last · lean · rash

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. object — to protest
  4. prune — to trim
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. object — an aim
  7. degree — an amount
  8. content — happy
  9. suit — to fit
  10. last — finally
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. lean — to bend
  16. last — to go on
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. last — final
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. object — a thing
  21. suit — clothes
  22. degree — temperature
  23. lean — thin
  24. suit — in cards

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