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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: tube · mate · fan · staff · mug · degree · fine · prune

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fine — all right
  4. staff — employees
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. fine — high quality
  7. mug — to rob
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. mate — a friend
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — to breed
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. degree — from a university
  15. staff — employees
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. degree — temperature
  19. staff — a stick
  20. tube — a container
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mug — a face
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. mug — a cup

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