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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.

Make a worksheet

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: content · prune · straw · bound · present · arm · scale · degree

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — an amount
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. present — there
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. prune — to trim
  9. scale — in music
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bound — obliged
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. prune — to trim
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. content — happy
  17. degree — temperature
  18. content — the amount
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. present — the time now
  21. bound — tied together
  22. present — a gift
  23. bound — certain
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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