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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: degree · wind · squash · prune · charge · calf · lie · drill

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. degree — from a university
  3. squash — to crush
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — the tool
  6. charge — in control
  7. prune — to trim
  8. degree — temperature
  9. charge — a price
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wind — moving air
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. charge — electricity
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. squash — the sport
  18. lie — to recline
  19. drill — army training
  20. wind — moving air
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. degree — an amount
  24. wind — to turn a key

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