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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — temperature
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bank — of a river
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. season — of the year
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in biology
  13. prune — to trim
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bank — for money
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bank — for money
  19. bass — low music
  20. season — in sport
  21. prune — to trim
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bass — the fish

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