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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 120 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: degree · chip · cabinet · tear · prune · rush · capital · wax

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. capital — a city
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. degree — an amount
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. degree — from a university
  9. wax — to grow
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. capital — money
  17. rush — hurry
  18. tear — from crying
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. degree — temperature
  21. chip — to eat
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. tear — to rip
  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