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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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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: trunk · suit · degree · prune · last · pass · ground · rock

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. ground — crushed
  3. degree — from a university
  4. suit — to fit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pass — a permit
  7. degree — an amount
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. degree — temperature
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. last — finally
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. last — to go on
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — a position
  19. rock — music
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. last — final
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. suit — clothes
  24. suit — in cards

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