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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: arm · ball · hand · rash · plane · press · degree · prune

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — to push
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. press — newspapers
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. prune — to trim
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ball — a great time
  17. plane — a tool
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — hasty
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. degree — temperature
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. degree — from a university

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