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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
468
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: bark · mate · degree · date · prune · court · fine · rock

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. prune — to trim
  5. court — of law
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. court — of a king
  8. bark — to shout
  9. fine — high quality
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. prune — to trim
  16. date — the fruit
  17. court — for sport
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rock — a stone
  21. mate — a partner
  22. rock — music
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. date — on the calendar

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