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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: saw · object · prune · degree · last · firm · game · season

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. season — in sport
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. object — a thing
  5. last — to go on
  6. degree — temperature
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. firm — a company
  11. degree — an amount
  12. season — of the year
  13. game — a match
  14. firm — steady
  15. degree — from a university
  16. game — wild animals
  17. object — an aim
  18. last — final
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. object — to protest
  22. last — finally
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. firm — decided

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