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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.

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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: bound · degree · straw · prune · mine · coach · season · cap

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. degree — temperature
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. season — in sport
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bound — certain
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mine — for digging
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bound — tied together
  12. prune — to trim
  13. season — of the year
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. prune — to trim
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. cap — a hat
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bound — obliged

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