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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.

Make a worksheet

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
YesNo
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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 · prune · object · perch · tube · racket · game · field

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. game — a match
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — farmland
  6. degree — an amount
  7. object — to protest
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. tube — the underground
  10. field — for sport
  11. object — a thing
  12. perch — the fish
  13. object — an aim
  14. tube — a container
  15. degree — temperature
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. prune — to trim
  19. degree — from a university
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. game — wild animals
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. tube — in a tire

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