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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 116 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: mug · rush · leaves · net · degree · bay · prune · safe

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. degree — from a university
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. net — after costs
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. mug — a face
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. degree — temperature
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mug — a cup
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. net — for catching
  19. mug — to rob
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. net — in sport
  23. prune — to trim
  24. leaves — to go away

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