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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: prune · stem · content · degree · last · lash · drill · stick

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. drill — army training
  3. degree — an amount
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. degree — temperature
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. content — the amount
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. last — final
  11. degree — from a university
  12. last — finally
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. drill — a practice
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. content — happy
  21. stem — to come from
  22. last — to go on
  23. drill — the tool
  24. prune — to trim

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