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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: snap · current · mate · degree · prune · shower · bowl · key

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. key — in music
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. prune — to trim
  8. key — the most important part
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. degree — temperature
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. shower — rain
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. mate — a partner
  17. key — for a lock
  18. current — of water
  19. mate — a friend
  20. shower — to wash
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mate — to breed

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