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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.

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: prune · toast · last · staff · row · saw · dip · degree

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. staff — employees
  3. last — to go on
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. saw — the tool
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. prune — to trim
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. last — final
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. degree — from a university
  15. toast — bread
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — temperature
  18. dip — to sink
  19. row — to paddle
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. last — finally
  22. row — a line
  23. prune — to trim
  24. toast — the most admired

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