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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bound — obliged
  5. fine — all right
  6. degree — from a university
  7. root — of a plant
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fine — high quality
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. root — of a word
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. degree — an amount
  14. root — the cause
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. chair — a leader
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — music
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. wax — to grow
  24. prune — to trim

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