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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rash · mark · degree · prune · ground · stock · wax · kick

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. degree — temperature
  3. prune — to trim
  4. ground — crushed
  5. mark — a grade
  6. rash — a series
  7. kick — in football
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. degree — from a university
  10. ground — the earth
  11. stock — shares
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. degree — an amount
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. prune — to trim
  19. ground — a position
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. stock — goods
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rash — hasty
  24. mark — a trace

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