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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 120 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
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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: spell · cap · pass · prune · staff · degree · straw · ground

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. cap — a lid
  5. degree — an amount
  6. cap — a hat
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. degree — from a university
  9. staff — employees
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. staff — employees
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. staff — a stick
  14. cap — of ice
  15. ground — a position
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — magic
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pass — a permit
  22. degree — temperature
  23. spell — a short time
  24. prune — to trim

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