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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 116 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: rush · prune · kick · spell · leaves · charge · degree · hide

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. charge — a price
  4. prune — to trim
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. prune — to trim
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. spell — magic
  10. charge — electricity
  11. spell — a short time
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. degree — temperature
  17. spell — letters
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. charge — in control
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. kick — in football
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rush — hurry

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