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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: degree · kid · rest · rush · board · mark · prune · land

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. board — to get on
  3. rest — what's left
  4. degree — from a university
  5. rest — a break
  6. board — a committee
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. land — ground
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. land — a country
  12. rush — hurry
  13. kid — to tease
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. mark — a grade
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mark — a trace
  18. land — to come down
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — temperature
  21. prune — to trim
  22. kid — child
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. mark — to pay attention

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