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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: foot · pitcher · degree · prune · pound · bank · hide · mine

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  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. foot — a measure
  2. bank — for money
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. prune — to trim
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. degree — an amount
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. pound — a weight
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bank — for money
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bank — of a river
  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