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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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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: suit · prune · bore · degree · fall · lean · pit · row

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — from a university
  5. fall — to drop
  6. row — to paddle
  7. fall — the season
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. suit — in cards
  10. bore — to tire
  11. pit — a hole
  12. row — a line
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. suit — to fit
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. suit — clothes
  18. lean — to bend
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. lean — thin
  23. pit — in a race
  24. prune — to trim

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