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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: prune · rest · dip · spell · mate · fan · degree · mug

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mug — a cup
  3. prune — to trim
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mate — a friend
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. mate — a partner
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mug — to rob
  16. rest — what's left
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rest — a break
  19. spell — magic
  20. dip — to sink
  21. degree — an amount
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mug — a face
  24. fan — to cool the air

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