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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. foot — a measure
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. branch — a division
  7. degree — from a university
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. prune — to trim
  18. degree — temperature
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — the cause
  21. wax — to grow
  22. prune — to trim
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. root — of a word

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