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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: fine · degree · prune · mouse · stand · can · row · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. degree — temperature
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. fine — all right
  10. degree — from a university
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. row — a line
  19. lean — thin
  20. row — to paddle
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. can — a tin
  24. degree — an amount

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