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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. plane — a tool
  3. degree — from a university
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rush — hurry
  6. field — a subject
  7. current — electric
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. field — farmland
  10. track — a song
  11. degree — temperature
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. track — to keep track
  14. current — happening now
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. degree — an amount
  19. field — for sport
  20. wax — to grow
  21. prune — to trim
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. track — a path
  24. current — of water

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