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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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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bear — the animal
  4. root — of a word
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. prune — to trim
  9. march — the month
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. craft — a skill
  17. bear — the animal
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a plant
  20. march — the month
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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