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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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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: prune · mug · track · degree · snap · shower · bear · vault

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. degree — temperature
  3. mug — to rob
  4. prune — to trim
  5. degree — from a university
  6. shower — rain
  7. track — a song
  8. track — a path
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. mug — a face
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. prune — to trim
  14. track — to keep track
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. vault — a safe
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. degree — an amount
  23. shower — to wash
  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