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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · plane · foot · lie · mark · present · ground · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. ground — a position
  4. present — there
  5. degree — temperature
  6. present — a gift
  7. ground — crushed
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. mark — a grade
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. degree — an amount
  13. lie — to recline
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. prune — to trim
  16. foot — a measure
  17. plane — a tool
  18. mark — a trace
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. present — the time now
  21. degree — from a university
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. ground — the earth

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