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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 120 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: board · pop · arm · bear · prune · squash · sharp · degree

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bear — the animal
  3. degree — an amount
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bear — the animal
  6. board — a committee
  7. squash — the sport
  8. sharp — clever
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pop — to visit
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. squash — to crush
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pop — music
  20. board — to get on
  21. pop — soda
  22. degree — from a university
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. bear — to put up with

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