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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: degree · tear · craft · ruler · wax · deal · prune · press

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. tear — to rip
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. prune — to trim
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. press — to push
  8. degree — temperature
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. degree — from a university
  12. press — a publisher
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. press — newspapers
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. craft — boats
  19. wax — to grow
  20. craft — a skill
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. degree — an amount
  24. tear — from crying

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