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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: tube · perch · degree · prune · sharp · toast · season · lash

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. prune — to trim
  5. perch — the fish
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. season — of the year
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. prune — to trim
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. tube — the underground
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. season — in sport
  16. degree — temperature
  17. sharp — clever
  18. toast — bread
  19. degree — an amount
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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