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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — a stone
  4. hand — in cards
  5. tube — the underground
  6. degree — from a university
  7. present — the time now
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. hand — help
  13. degree — an amount
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. present — a gift
  18. degree — temperature
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. present — there
  21. tube — a container
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — to grow
  24. coach — a trainer

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