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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: stock · wake · hand · degree · wax · plane · coach · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wake — a trail
  3. plane — a tool
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. degree — temperature
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. hand — in cards
  8. prune — to trim
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. stock — shares
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. stock — goods
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. degree — from a university
  18. wax — to grow
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. degree — an amount
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. hand — help
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wake — before a funeral

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