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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.

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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 · degree · mouse · fine · key · prune · wound · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fine — high quality
  3. key — the most important part
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. degree — an amount
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a face
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. staff — a stick
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mug — a cup
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. prune — to trim
  19. degree — temperature
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. fine — all right
  23. degree — from a university
  24. staff — employees

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