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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: straw · bound · present · prune · saw · kid · degree · fine

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. present — there
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. degree — temperature
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fine — all right
  9. bound — obliged
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bound — tied together
  12. fine — high quality
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. kid — child
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. degree — from a university
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. prune — to trim
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — a gift
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bound — certain
  24. saw — the tool

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