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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.

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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 · leaves · rock · game · bore · degree · prune · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bore — to tire
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rash — a series
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rock — music
  9. degree — from a university
  10. net — after costs
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. prune — to trim
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — a match
  16. bore — to drill
  17. prune — to trim
  18. net — in sport
  19. rash — hasty
  20. net — for catching
  21. rock — a stone
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. degree — temperature

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