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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: net · mark · jam · pitcher · lean · degree · prune · wave

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. prune — to trim
  3. degree — from a university
  4. lean — thin
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. prune — to trim
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — temperature
  21. mark — a trace
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. mark — a grade

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