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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pound — a weight
  4. prune — to trim
  5. degree — an amount
  6. field — a subject
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. field — for sport
  9. degree — from a university
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. degree — temperature
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rest — a break
  15. perch — the fish
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. field — farmland
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wax — for sculpting

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