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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: track · land · bowl · temple · cell · degree · prune · mouse

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. cell — a phone
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. land — ground
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. cell — in biology
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. land — a country
  14. prune — to trim
  15. degree — an amount
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. land — to come down
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — a place of worship

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