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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: pop · march · degree · prune · cap · bear · drill · board

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. drill — the tool
  3. degree — an amount
  4. board — a committee
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pop — music
  7. march — the month
  8. pop — soda
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pop — to visit
  11. degree — temperature
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. drill — army training
  14. cap — a hat
  15. march — music
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. march — the month
  18. board — to get on
  19. bear — the animal
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. degree — from a university

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