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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 116 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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bank — for money
  3. spell — magic
  4. degree — an amount
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. spell — letters
  13. march — the month
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. board — a committee
  17. march — the month
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rush — hurry
  21. spell — a short time
  22. march — music
  23. board — to get on
  24. rush — to hurry

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