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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
468
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: march · lean · wax · prune · degree · pass · ball · safe

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. march — the month
  5. degree — from a university
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. ball — a great time
  8. march — music
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wax — to grow
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pass — a permit
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. prune — to trim
  19. degree — temperature
  20. prune — to trim
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to bend
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. march — the month

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