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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. date — the fruit
  3. firm — steady
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cue — a signal
  6. wax — to grow
  7. land — to come down
  8. cue — for pool
  9. vault — a safe
  10. firm — decided
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. land — a country
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. degree — an amount
  17. firm — a company
  18. degree — temperature
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. land — ground
  21. cue — a hint
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a tree

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