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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
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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: object · degree · pop · jam · racket · prune · cap · patient

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. pop — music
  3. object — to protest
  4. prune — to trim
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. object — a thing
  7. pop — soda
  8. cap — of ice
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. degree — an amount
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. degree — from a university
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. object — an aim
  17. cap — a lid
  18. degree — temperature
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cap — a hat
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. pop — to visit

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