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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: stick · band · degree · prune · fan · hand · chair · firm

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. degree — an amount
  8. prune — to trim
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. prune — to trim
  14. firm — decided
  15. chair — a leader
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. degree — temperature
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. firm — steady
  21. firm — a company
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. prune — the fruit

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