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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: prune · wake · row · wax · degree · roll · coach · pound

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. wake — a trail
  4. degree — temperature
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. prune — to trim
  7. degree — an amount
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. roll — a cake
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pound — a weight
  20. degree — from a university
  21. roll — a list
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wax — for sculpting

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