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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: degree · present · saw · prune · cell · land · staff · foot

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. degree — an amount
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. staff — employees
  6. present — the time now
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. staff — employees
  9. foot — a measure
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. present — there
  13. saw — the tool
  14. land — to come down
  15. present — a gift
  16. staff — a stick
  17. degree — from a university
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — a phone
  21. degree — temperature
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. foot — the bottom

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